Rep. Carson’s Legislative Work: Get the Facts

No Reckless Spending - Some have criticized that policies in Washington have led to inflation, food prices and gas prices rising, and claim "reckless" extra spending has contributed to this.

• The pandemic's economic disruptions, resulting supply chain interruptions, and Russia's war against Ukraine have contributed to the current pricing concerns. There was no reckless spending, and I strongly support the pandemic relief that he voted for to help working Hoosiers stay afloat during the pandemic. This includes individual emergency payments, extensions of unemployment insurance payments, the Child Care Tax Credits, the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) payments, plus expansion of health and social safety nets to help his constituents. In the middle of a public health and economic emergency, there was nothing ‘reckless' about trying to help Hoosier families.

Climate Change and Jobs – Critics of the Inflation Reduction Act say it "has nothing to do with reducing inflation" and much of the money will be going to the "Green New Deal."

• In 2021, 20,000 workers in IN-07 were employed in clean energy and emerging sectors of the economy, and an additional 49,000 worked in occupations that will be increasingly in demand as the United States transitions to cleaner, more secure energy. The Inflation Reduction Act will support more clean energy jobs and expand workforce training for these industries in IN-07 and around the country.

• As of August 2022, 1,400 manufacturing jobs have been created in IN-07 since President Biden came into office and 20,500 have been created statewide. The strong economic recovery, thanks to the American Rescue Plan and other legislation, has helped manufacturing recover more than all the jobs lost nationwide during the pandemic recession.

• The Inflation Reduction Act also caps costs of insulin for Medicare patients, and this is a big help for Hoosiers.

Positive Change for IN-07 – Some critics claim that things are getting worse instead of getting better service for the 7^th district.

• In the 117th Congress alone, I worked with Congressional Democrats and President Biden to enact a number of laws and policies—including the American Rescue Plan, Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, Inflation Reduction Act, CHIPS and Science Act and student loan relief—that will lower costs for residents in IN-07, support businesses and promote economic growth. As of August 2022, 15,600 jobs have been created in IN-07 since President Biden came into office and 136,400 jobs have been created statewide.

• Over the years, I've worked hard to bring economic and infrastructure benefits back to IN-07, including federal funds to launch the first green bus rapid transit system in the state, to improve the airport, highways and green spaces, like the Cultural Trail, which was launched with federal funds that I delivered for my constituents. This is in addition to several rounds of Community Funding Projects across the district (see list above).

Bipartisan Work in Congress – A partisan critic accused Congressman Carson of not crossing the aisle.

• I have a long record of working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle. I worked on a bipartisan basis with the Indiana Delegation to get the Kennedy-King Park bill enacted (with the entire Indiana delegation as original cosponsors), and the bill was signed into law by a Republican president. My most recent bill to pass the House was a bipartisan and bicameral collaboration: I worked with the former Dean of the House - and a staunch Republican - Don Young, to pass the National Center for the Advancement of Aviation. The bill had 27 Republican cosponsors, and 153 Republicans voted for passage. Also, for the last several years I've led major appropriations efforts, letters with significant bipartisan support, to fully fund research at NIH.

• Some people talk about bipartisanship, but I actually work and vote with my colleagues on the other side of the aisle on shared priorities. It's easy to throw stones and focus on what divides people. But if you can talk to your colleagues, and listen to their priorities, good legislators can actually find common ground and get bills signed into law.

• Of the 214 bills enacted so far in this session of Congress, approximately 1/3 were offered by Republicans and I supported those bills.

• Unfortunately, there are some bills that have yet to get bipartisan support – like my Food Deserts bill, and the bill to award a Congressional Gold Medal to Muhammad Ali. But that's not because I hasn't invited Republicans to cosponsor the bills.

• Next month, when the House reconvenes, I will be re-introducing a bipartisan National Poppy Day Resolution to honor veterans and those who have given their lives for our country. My co-lead is fellow Hoosier, Rep. Spartz. This bill is endorsed by the American Legion, headquartered here in Indianapolis.

War on Drugs – A critic said Congressman Carson has never voted to fully fund the "war on drugs" and falsely claimed he has not voted "to secure our borders."

• I strongly support secure borders for our country, and have voted many times for funds to keep our borders secure. I have not voted for a "war on drugs", because as experts have testified, the "war on drugs" failed and overly-harsh sentencing disparities wreaked havoc on Black and Brown communities.

Crime Reduction – A critic falsely claimed that "Andre Carson and Washington want to defund the police."

• As a former law enforcement officer, I've never supported "defunding the police." I've been a leader in Congress on the need to reform policing to improve training (especially emphasizing de-escalation techniques instead of lethal force) and providing better accountability, and to help make our criminal justice system more fair. That's why I strongly support the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act which we passed in the House, and which needs to pass the Senate as soon as possible.