Polls say Trump's Big Beautiful Bill is unpopular. In Indy SBA chief says Main Street supports it
Numerous independent polls released in recent weeks from outlets such as Fox News, the Washington Post, Quinnipiac University and the Kaiser Family Foundation show a majority of voters oppose Trump's bill. All four of those polls show more than 50% of individuals surveyed do not support the legislation.
But SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler, in a visit to Olson Custom Designs in northwest Indianapolis, said that's not what she hears from small business owners around the country, who she said support provisions of the bill such as increasing the small business tax deduction and eliminating taxes on overtime from 2025 until 2029. There has been misinformation about the bill benefiting Wall Street rather than Main Street, Loeffler said.
'The One Big Beautiful Bill is a very pro-worker piece of legislation,' Loeffler told reporters. 'Every day that we wait for this bill to pass is one less day that small businesses, manufacturers, main streets and hardworking Americans have to wait to see the benefits of that bill.'
Brothers Mitch and Brian Olson, who founded Olson Custom Designs in 2014, walked Loeffler past large machines that hissed and squeaked. The business, which has 80 employees, manufactures essential parts for medical, aerospace and defense industries.
Mitch Olson told reporters that the tax benefits in Trump's bill could allow Olson Custom Designs to reinvest in the company and its employees.
'Passing along that savings back to our employees is crucial to recruit more employees and to help advance the ones we currently already have,' he said.
The June 24 Indianapolis stop was Loeffler's second visit to the Hoosier State this year. She announced a manufacturing deregulation initiative at Aerodyn Engineering in March in one of her first stops since her confirmation as SBA Administrator earlier this year.
Trump's signature legislation passed the U.S. House in May and is currently making its way through the U.S. Senate.
Congressional leaders are hoping to send the bill to Trump's desk by the Fourth of July, but that timeline could face obstacles as federal lawmakers continue to debate and change portions of the bill.
More One Big Beautiful Bill impacts: Ending energy tax credits, jobs for thousands of Hoosiers
One of those provisions is Medicaid funding and eligibility. The bill would establish work requirements for Medicaid recipients, but the U.S. Senate has also proposed capping the Medicaid provider tax at 3.5%.
Indiana has a 6% provider tax, which covers 90% of the state's costs for the Healthy Indiana Plan. State leaders on June 18 said they were concerned such cuts would make Indiana unable to afford the Healthy Indiana Plan, which is the state's health insurance program for low income Hoosiers.
Contact IndyStar state government and politics reporter Brittany Carloni at brittany.carloni@indystar.com. Follow her on Twitter/X @CarloniBrittany.
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