Under Mike Pence, Indiana’s economic engine has stalled
INDIANAPOLIS – As Governor Mike Pence kicked off his troubled re-election campaign this week, he was working hard to blame his opponent, Democrat John Gregg, for the global economic collapse following the 9/11 attacks. In doing so, Pence even criticized the records of current Republican leaders.
“Mike Pence can’t defend his own record as governor, so he is working hard to rewrite history. In doing so, Pence is attacking the current House Speaker Brian Bosma and Senate Republicans, who signed off on every decision that was made when John Gregg was Speaker of the Indiana House,” said Drew Anderson, communications director. “The fact that he is willing to go after the records of leaders within his own party just shows how desperate Mike Pence has become to distract Hoosiers from his record of not getting the job done as governor.”
In 2002, when Indiana and rest of the world faced an economic recession, then-House Speaker John Gregg reached across the aisle to then-Minority Leader Brian Bosma and Senate Republicans (who held the majority) to craft a bipartisan deal that cut spending and protected critical state programs like education, infrastructure spending, and state law enforcement. John Gregg and Brian Bosma were later named national “Public Officials of the Year” by Governing Magazine for their bipartisan work in steering the state through rough economic times.
“Leave it to Mike Pence, a creature of Washington D.C., to attack bipartisanship,” said Anderson. “It’s pretty clear we need more of that type of common sense, solutions-oriented leadership in Indiana – not more social issues, division, and the ‘my way or the highway’ approach of Mike Pence.”
In Pence’s first term in office, the state of Indiana and its economic engine have stalled. Hoosiers now earn just 86 cents on the dollar compared to the average American. That’s nearly $7,000 less per year. And Indiana’s per capita income dropped from 34th to 38th in the nation since Pence has taken over. With the state being ranked dead LAST in economic growth in the Midwest, Hoosier workers continue to fall further behind the rest of the nation.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION: INDIANA IS FALLING BEHIND THE REST OF THE NATION
Overall State Economy
- Indiana’s economy grew at a sluggish .4% rate in 2014. – [NWI Times, 6.10.15]
- Indiana’s economy grew .5% or less three of last four years. – [NWI Times, 6.10.15]
- ndiana ranks LAST in economic growth in the Midwest. – [NWI Times, 6.10.15]
- Indiana ranks 38th in per capita income, down from 34th in 2004. – [NWI Times, 03.26.16]
- Median Incomes: Wages have dropped from $53,500 in 2000 to $46,900 in 2013. – [U.S. Census]
- Hoosiers make 86 cents for every one American dollar earned. – [Indianapolis Star, 6.1.15]
- Indiana ranks 46th in quality of life, 42nd in workforce. – [CNBC]
- About two thirds of minimum wage workers in Indiana are women. – [Forbes, 7, 2015]
- Hoosier women make 75 cents for every dollar a man makes. – [AAUW, 2015]
- African American households earn on average $21,000 less than white households. – [Indianapolis Star, 4.11.15]
- Hispanic households make $15,000 less than white households. – [Indianapolis Star, 4.11.15]
Mike Pence’s RFRA
- Mike Pence signed the Religious Freedom Restoration Act in a closed door ceremony [FOX 59, 3.26.15], throwing Indiana into a $250 million economic panic. – [The Advocate, 7.10.15]
Pence Repeals Common Construction Wage Law
- Mike Pence and Statehouse Republicans repealed the common construction wage laws, allowing union worker wages to go down and the expanding wage gap continues to grow in our state. – [NWI Times, 5.6.15]
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