Latest news with #Spartz
Indianapolis Star
22-05-2025
- Business
- Indianapolis Star
How Indiana's representatives - including Victoria Spartz - voted for Trump's tax bill
Hoosiers in the U.S. House of Representatives voted along party lines for President Donald Trump's policy bill that narrowly passed the chamber early on May 22. Indiana's seven Republicans, including U.S. Rep. Victoria Spartz, voted in favor of the bill while the state's two Democrats voted against it. The bill now heads to the U.S. Senate. The proposal, which Trump and Republicans have referred to as the "big, beautiful bill," includes Trump campaign promises such as eliminating taxes on tips and overtime for workers, but it also includes major changes to border security, taxes and what Americans have access to Medicaid and food stamps. Indiana Republicans praised the bill for delivering on promises Trump and Republicans made during the 2024 election cycle. U.S. Rep. André Carson, a Democrat representing the majority of Indianapolis, slammed the bill for cuts to Medicaid and food assistance that he said could hurt Hoosiers. What's in Trump's big tax bill?: Here's what you need to know. In a post on X following the vote, Spartz, Indiana's frequent wildcard Republican, said she voted for the bill, but that the legislation "still needs some work." In April, Spartz voted against a budget resolution that laid the framework for the May 22 vote over concerns it would increase the federal deficit. I voted Yes to move this legislation forward, but this bill still needs some work. USA TODAY contributed to this story. Contact IndyStar state government and politics reporter Brittany Carloni at Follow her on Twitter/X @CarloniBrittany.
The Hill
08-05-2025
- Business
- The Hill
GOP rep says US won't ‘survive' if it's not put on a ‘sustainable fiscal paths'
Rep. Victoria Spartz (R-Ind.) said Wednesday that the U.S. will not 'survive' if it's not put on 'sustainable fiscal paths.' 'If we don't put our country on sustainable fiscal paths, we are going to be not be able to survive as a country,' Spartz said on MSNBC's 'The Weeknight.' Spartz's comments came on the same day that she and over two dozen Republicans warned House GOP leadership that a key bill being crafted in Congress to push forward President Trump's agenda 'must not add to the deficit.' When co-host Symone Sanders Townsend pressed on whether she would 'vote for a bill that has any cuts to Medicaid,' Spartz responded that she is 'trying to improve it.' 'So, we actually want to make sure that Medicaid is better for the people that it's intended to,' Spartz said. In the Wednesday letter to their leadership, the House Republicans reaffirmed that their backing of the president's 'big, beautiful bill' being put together in their chamber relies on 'at minimum' the proposal's 'strict adherence' to the House's blueprint for the plan. 'Under the House's framework, the reconciliation bill must not add to the deficit. The House budget resolution assumes that enacting President Trump's agenda, including extending the 2017 tax cuts, will generate $2.5 trillion in additional revenue through economic growth,' the Republicans said in the letter. According to an analysis released by the Congressional Budget Office on Wednesday, millions would lose health insurance coverage via various Republican options to cut Medicaid spending to fund the president's domestic policy agenda.
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Our View: Pierce town hall shows civility still works
No shouting. No threats. No gross exaggerations. No rude interruptions. State Rep. Kyle Pierce's town hall meeting at the Anderson Public Library in mid-April wasn't marred by any of the uncivil antics that characterized an earlier town hall meeting involving U.S. Rep. Victoria Spartz, whose district includes the Madison County area. The difference in the tenor of the two town halls can be explained, in part, by growing discontent with the federal policies and actions of President Trump and his supporters, and Spartz is an ardent one. In comparison, affairs at the state level generally generate less attention — and less venom. Still, the stark differences in the two town halls is worth noting. When elected officials meet publicly with constituents, the value of the meeting is largely determined by the attitudes of both the public official and the members of the public at the meeting. If the elected official doesn't want to listen to criticism or won't answer questions in a straightforward manner, the meeting has little value. The same holds true if those attending a town hall have come to sling verbal barbs. In either case, the gathering can quickly devolve into shouting and generally rude behavior. This happened at the Spartz town hall primarily because at least some members of the audience were determined to shout the congresswoman down. Spartz can be guilty, too, of inflexibility in her stated positions. Other Republican office holders across the country have had similar experiences of late, leading the national GOP to discourage town hall-style meetings. But, to her credit, Spartz did it anyway. The Pierce town hall, in contrast, was conducted with civility. There were critics in the audience of about 40, including former state representatives Melanie Wright and Terri Austin, whom Pierce unseated during a heated campaign back in 2022. They raised pointed criticisms of bills supported by Pierce's Republican Party. He retorted in defense of the bills. But neither side attacked the other. It was refreshing in an old-school sort of way. Reasonable Republicans and Democrats really aren't that far apart on many issues. It only seems that way because of the vitriol issuing from the extremes at each end of the political spectrum. But for at least one day in Madison County, a state representative and those attending his town hall meeting showed that respect and civil discourse still have a place in politics.
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Indiana's Victoria Spartz one of just two House Republicans to vote against Trump budget
U.S. Rep. Victoria Spartz was one of only two Republicans to vote against a GOP budget that narrowly passed Thursday, writing on X that the plan is "setting us up for the largest deficit increase in the history of our Republic." The Hamilton County congresswoman, who worked in accounting and finance before taking office in 2020, has long focused on the country's financial situation. Spartz threatened to resign from office in late 2023 if a commission was not established to study the national debt. In December 2024, Spartz said she would not caucus with other House Republicans. "I would rather spend my energy helping President Trump, his appointees and DOGE to deliver on their promises through reconciliation," she wrote in a statement about the decision. Thursday's bill, which will allow President Donald Trump to enact much of his legislative agenda, was narrowly approved with a 216-214 vote along party lines. No Democrats voted for the bill. Two Republicans abstained from the vote, along with one Democrat. Though the resolution will allow President Trump to enact much of his legislative agenda, ultraconservative members of the Freedom Caucus and deficit hawks refused to vote for the existing plan Wednesday night over concerns that it would lead to a skyrocketing national debt. All Republican holdouts except Spartz and Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky relented after House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune announced Thursday morning that they would find $1.5 trillion in cuts as part of the package. Their joint statement indicates that Congress could make significant changes to Medicaid and other benefit programs. "I appreciate efforts of my colleagues, but the instructions we voted on today are still setting us up for the largest deficit increase in the history of our Republic, & opening up a 'pandora's box' by changing accounting rules to hide it," Spartz said on X. "In good conscience, I couldn't vote YES." The vote came after days of intense pressure from Trump and his advisers. Trump told House Republicans at a fundraiser Tuesday night: "Close your eyes and get there." The resolution approved Thursday will be the blueprint for a massive bill that Republicans hope to pass through a process known as "reconciliation," which avoids the need for a supermajority to overcome a filibuster in the Senate. That would allow the measure to pass in both chambers of Congress with only Republican votes. The package will eventually include Trump's priorities for border security, domestic energy production and taxes. If it passes, it would be the marquee law of his second term in office. Frank Mrvan, Democrat, 1st Congressional District: No Rudy Yakym, Republican, 2nd Congressional District: Yes Marlin Stutzman, Republican, 3rd Congressional District: Yes James Baird, Republican, 4th Congressional District: Yes Victoria Spartz, Republican, 5th Congressional District: No Jefferson Shreve, Republican, 6th Congressional District: Yes André Carson, Democrat, 7th Congressional District: No Mark Messmer, Republican, 8th Congressional District: Yes Erin Houchin, Republican, 9th Congressional District: Yes The skeleton plan both the Senate and House have now agreed to lays out separate spending instructions for Trump's legislation that will ultimately be hammered out between the chambers and fleshed out with detailed policy. The Senate's plan would allow them to lock in the tax cuts implemented during Trump's first term, which are set to expire this year, an incredibly expensive endeavor that would add an estimated $3.8 trillion to the deficit over the next 10 years. The Senate's plan would also allow for an additional $1.5 trillion in tax cuts, leaving room for Trump's plans to eliminate taxes on tips and overtime and other tax priorities. It requires virtually no spending cuts but has a non-binding target of eventually finding $2 trillion in savings over 10 years. The Senate plan would also raise the debt ceiling by $5 trillion, which would avoid a looming default on the federal debt and help Republicans avoid negotiating on the extension with Democrats. The blueprint also instructs the House to follow separate rules, which required finding at least $1.5 trillion in spending cuts over the next 10 years. The House's plan also allows for an extension of Trump's 2017 tax cuts and allocates $300 billion for spending on defense and border security. Several Republicans and Democrats in both chambers are concerned that the blueprint will lead to significant cuts to Medicaid, the health insurance program that provides coverage to 72 million low-income Americans. The House's instructions include a directive to cut $880 billion from the jurisdiction of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which nonpartisan experts have said is not possible to meet without slashing Medicaid. Several GOP lawmakers, including Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri, have said they cannot support the final package if it includes significant cuts to Medicaid. But Hawley voted to approve the Senate's blueprint, saying that he'd spoken with Trump "for a good bit," who "told me the House will NOT cut Medicaid benefits and the Senate will NOT cut Medicaid benefits and he won't sign any benefit cuts." Ryan Murphy is the communities reporter for IndyStar. She can be reached at rhmurphy@ This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana's Victoria Spartz votes against Trump budget, citing deficit
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
4 things you need to know about Viktoria Spartz, the Ukrainian-born US lawmaker
This week a spotlight has once again been shone on Victoria Spartz, the Ukrainian-born Republican lawmaker who is not a stranger to controversy. Born in Chernihiv Oblast, she moved to the U.S. in 2000. She was elected to Congress three times, in 2020, 2022, and 2024, and represents Indiana's 5th District. Despite her roots, Spartz had not been publicly involved in Ukraine-related issues until Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022. In the aftermath of the invasion, Spartz began speaking about the war in deeply personal terms. She was present in the Oval Office when President Joe Biden signed the Ukraine Democracy Defense Lend-Lease Act of 2022. But in the years since, she has drawn criticism for her shifting stance on aid to Ukraine, as well as a series of controversial public statements. Spartz claimed in 2022, without offering evidence, that U.S. weapons provided to Ukraine could be redirected to other countries, including Syria, Russia, and Mexico. Responding to the claim, then-Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba accused her of spreading a "narrative (that) was launched 100% by the Russian Federation." He also suggested Spartz deliberately mentioned Mexico for political reasons as it "works perfectly in U.S. domestic policy," given the high levels of immigration from countries across the southern border. In an interview with Ukrainian journalist Yuriy Butusov in August 2022, Spartz confirmed Kuleba was right. "Why did I say Mexico? Because one has to understand our situation in the U.S. Our president (then-Democrat President Joe Biden) has decided to completely open our borders with Mexico, and we have an influx of people from South America," she said. "Our border officers have huge problems, while cartels are paying a lot on the black market for different weapons." Following a tense exchange between President Volodymyr Zelensky and U.S. President Donald Trump in the Oval Office on Feb. 28, Spartz accused Zelensky of doing "a serious disservice to the Ukrainian people by insulting the American president and the American people — just to appease Europeans and increase his low polling in Ukraine." The claim echoed earlier false statements from Trump, who said that Zelensky had an approval rating of 4%. However, a February survey before the clash with Trump put Zelensky's trust level at 57%, with a trust-distrust balance of +20%. The most recent polling shows Zelensky's trust rating surging to 69% in the wake of the Oval Office showdown. More recently, in an interview published on April 7 by the Telegraph, Spartz said Ukraine should consider ceding land to Russia and urged its people to demand the resignation of Zelensky. After facing backlash from Ukrainian officials and media, Spartz accused the Telegraph of intentionally misrepresenting her views. "I would not be surprised that Zelensky is paying The Telegraph to fabricate false headlines to continue making money on the blood of the Ukrainian people." It's not the first time Spartz accused the Ukrainian president of holding sway over free media. "Zelensky took control of all Ukrainian media, prosecutes churches, businesses, and volunteers, covered up corruption for his friends, uses 'puppet' prosecutors to unlawfully imprison and intimidate anyone who tells the truth about his failures to defend his country or could be a potential political opponent, including his own military and generals," Spartz wrote on Feb. 20. No evidence was provided, while no Ukrainian media outlet is known of being controlled by the country's president. Concerning Spartz's comments about churches, the best response came from Pastor Mark Burns, sometimes referred to as Trump's "spiritual advisor." "My support for Ukraine is not a stab at him, but a call to every Republican, every conservative, every American, and those around the world who, like me, have been brainwashed by fake news media about Ukraine," Burns told the Kyiv Independent. "For instance, fake news suggested that Ukraine hated churches, Ukraine hated ministries, that they intentionally destroyed ministries." "Well, that is a bold-faced lie because I was in the midst of some of Ukraine's greatest spiritual leaders from all different sects and religious organizations in one room in Kyiv, and they all have the same common ground — they have the right to practice their faith in Ukraine," he said. In an interview with European Pravda in September, Spartz lambasted people living in Kyiv for doing normal things like eating in cafes or restaurants. "You are not preparing for war. You even act like you donʼt have a war. People are sitting in restaurants in Kyiv as if you donʼt have war anymore because the war has gone to the east," she said. As pointed out by the Ukrainian news outlet Svidomi, maintaining some level of normality in wartime is essential for a country's economy, not to mention the mental state of its citizens. Read also: 'Putin is pure evil' — Trump's spiritual advisor, Pastor Mark Burns, on Russia's war against Ukraine We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
