Rep. Victoria Spartz talks about supporting Hoosier workers but has voted against every major bipartisan jobs bill of the last Congress — and then voted to protect the tariffs that are laying them off. Spartz voted against the CHIPS and Science Act, which brought a $3.87 billion semiconductor plant and over 1,000 jobs to Indiana. She voted against the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which delivered $7.9 billion to Indiana for roads, bridges, and transit. She voted against the Inflation Reduction Act, which spurred $7.8 billion in clean energy investment in the state. Then she reversed herself on tariffs: in 2022, she called Biden's 9-18% lumber tariffs "the worst time" to raise prices on consumers, but in February 2026 she voted to protect Trump's far larger 25% tariffs on Canada — the same tariffs that triggered 900 layoffs at Stellantis transmission and casting plants in Kokomo, in her own district. A Ball State economist said Indiana is among the three most at-risk states from tariffs because manufacturing accounts for 26% of the state's GDP. When given the chance to stand up for Hoosier jobs, Spartz has consistently chosen party loyalty over her district's economic interests.
Spartz Voted Against The CHIPS And Science Act, Which Brought A $3.87 Billion Semiconductor Investment And Over 1,000 Jobs To Indiana. According to GovTrack, Spartz voted Nay on H.R. 4346, the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022, which passed 243-187 on July 28, 2022. The law included $52 billion to develop and expand semiconductor manufacturing in the United States. SK Hynix subsequently announced a $3.87 billion advanced chip packaging facility in West Lafayette, backed by $458 million in CHIPS Act funding, expected to create more than 1,000 jobs. [GovTrack, 7/28/22] [NIST, 12/2/24]
Spartz Voted Against The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Which Delivered $7.9 Billion To Indiana For Roads, Bridges, And Transit. According to GovTrack, Spartz voted Nay on H.R. 3684, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which passed 228-206 on November 5, 2021. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, the law delivered more than $7.9 billion in transportation funding to Indiana, including $6.9 billion for highways and bridges and $673 million for public transportation. [GovTrack, 11/5/21] [U.S. DOT, Viewed 2/16/26]
Spartz Voted Against The Inflation Reduction Act, Which Spurred $7.8 Billion In Clean Energy Investment In Indiana. According to GovTrack, Spartz voted Nay on H.R. 5376, the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, which passed 220-207 on August 12, 2022. According to WFYI, since the law passed, more than $7.8 billion in private investment has come to Indiana, including EV battery manufacturing plants for Samsung, Stellantis, and Toyota. [GovTrack, 8/12/22] [WFYI, Viewed 2/16/26]
Spartz Criticized Biden Administration Lumber Tariffs As Coming At "The Worst Time" For Consumers. According to WIBC, Spartz opposed the Biden administration's proposal to raise tariffs on Canadian lumber from 9% to 18%, saying, "That is the worst time when we already have an increase in prices." She added, "It's just strange for me to see when we have all these challenges we put more bad laws and policies into place." [WIBC, 1/17/22]
Spartz Said Congress Should "Decide Which Tariffs Are Good" — Then Hours Later Voted To Block Congress From Doing Exactly That. According to The Hill, Spartz told reporters, "I think it's the job of Congress to take this vote and decide which tariffs are good, which tariffs are bad, and that's just we have to take votes." She then reversed and voted for a rule blocking Congress from voting to terminate Trump's 25% tariffs on Canada — far exceeding the Biden-era tariffs she had criticized. [Hill, 2/10/26]
Spartz Declared Herself A "Hard No" On The Budget Reconciliation Bill Over Deficit Concerns — Then Flipped After Trump Screamed At Her. According to The New Republic, citing Puck News reporting, Trump made a furious phone call to Spartz in which he screamed at her, calling her "a fake Republican set on undermining his agenda." After the call, Speaker Johnson approached Spartz in the cloakroom and said, "You know what you have to do." Spartz then told reporters she had a "great conversation" with Trump and that she "trust[s] his word." [New Republic, 2/27/25]
The Law Spartz Voted For Cuts $186 Billion From Food Assistance, Threatening Benefits For 600,000 Hoosiers. According to CNBC, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act initiates a near 20% cut to SNAP, cutting federal funding by an estimated $186 billion through 2035 and imposing work requirements on adults aged 55-64, parents of school-aged children, veterans, and people experiencing homelessness. According to USAFacts, approximately 610,700 people in Indiana received SNAP benefits in fiscal year 2024. [CNBC, 8/8/25] [USAFacts, Viewed 2/16/26]
Stellantis Laid Off 900 Workers At Three Plants In Kokomo Due To The Auto Tariffs Spartz Voted To Protect. According to WISH-TV, Stellantis temporarily laid off 900 workers, including employees at the Indiana Transmission Plant, Kokomo Transmission Plant, and Kokomo Casting Plant, after President Trump's 25% auto tariffs triggered production pauses at assembly plants in Canada and Mexico. Stellantis COO Antonio Filosa said, "It will take our collective resilience and discipline to push through this challenging time." [WISH-TV, 4/3/25]
A Ball State Economist Said Indiana Is Among The Three Most At-Risk States From The Tariffs Spartz Voted To Protect. According to the Indianapolis Business Journal, Michael Hicks, a Ball State University economics professor, stated, "If we're not the most at-risk state, we're one of the three most at-risk states because of tariffs." Manufacturing represents 18% of Indiana's workforce and nearly 26% of GDP. [Indianapolis Business Journal, Viewed 2/16/26]
Indiana Farm Income Is Projected To Drop By Over $1 Billion In 2026 As Tariffs Reshape Agriculture. According to Purdue University's Center for Commercial Agriculture, Indiana cash farm receipts are expected to decline by $1,033 million in 2026, with corn receipts falling 3.7%, soybeans 7.2%, and wheat 9.8%. China, Mexico, and Canada — the primary targets of tariffs — account for more than 70% of U.S. corn exports and 60% of soybean exports. [Purdue Center for Commercial Agriculture, 2/16/26]
The Yale Budget Lab Estimated Tariffs Cost The Average American Household $1,700 Per Year, With The Poorest Hit Hardest. According to the Yale Budget Lab, the 2025 tariffs represent a loss of $1,700 for the average household. The burden is regressive: households in the bottom income decile face a cost equal to 2.4% of their income, more than three times the 0.8% burden on the top decile. [Yale Budget Lab, 11/17/25]
A Constituent Told Spartz At A Town Hall That She Felt "Not Represented." According to WFYI, at a March 2025 town hall in Westfield, constituent Christine Kassebnia expressed worry about potential cuts to Medicaid and Medicare, stating she felt "under-represented." The crowd chanted "Do your job" when asked why Republican members had not restrained the president's orders. [WFYI, 3/28/25]