Tuesday, February 17, 2026
Senate Republicans have championed fiscal responsibility for decades. In recent legislative sessions, they have focused on passing balanced budgets, paying down our state's debt and cutting taxes.
To keep more money in Hoosiers' pockets, the General Assembly has passed 11 straight balanced budgets, all while cutting more than 20 taxes over the last 10 years.
Senate Republicans have also worked consistently over the past several years to pay down the state's largest unfunded pension liability, the Pre-1996 Teachers Retirement Fund, with an additional $3.7 billion in addition to our annual $1 billion payments.
However, as state legislators focus on fiscal responsibility, the federal government's debt has continued to grow to more than $38.6 trillion. Of this debt, more than $8 trillion is owed to people outside our nation, including more than $1 trillion owed to individuals in China. This debt represents a looming threat to the future of our nation's economy and security.
The Indiana General Assembly has been working to call attention to this issue over the past few years, and recently, Gov. Mike Braun and State Comptroller Elise Nieshalla highlighted some of the work legislators have done to remain fiscally responsible and hold the federal government accountable.
Last year, State Sens. Daryl Schmitt (R-Jasper) and Brett Clark (R-Avon) authored Senate Resolution 51, which recognizes the urgency of our federal debt and its threat to national security. Passing with bipartisan support, this resolution now serves as a national model for other states to use to help draw attention to the seriousness of the national debt.
Multiple state legislatures are now preparing to pass their own national debt resolution.
This year, the House of Representatives passed House Resolution 28, which would further strengthen the state’s leadership role in this growing national effort.
Senate Republicans remain focused on encouraging the federal government to take real steps to cut down the national debt to help secure our economic future and ensure that burden does not fall on future generations of Americans.
To learn more, click here.
