One Big Beautiful Bill Act Signed Into Law

One Big Beautiful Bill Act Signed Into Law

Last week, I voted for the One Big Beautiful Bill Act to protect Hoosier families from tax increases. The bill passed both the Senate and the House and was signed into law by President Trump on July 4.

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act will:

✅ Prevent massive tax increases on Hoosier families and small businesses

✅ Unlock more resources to secure our border

✅ Support our military and national security

✅ Strengthen government assistance programs for Americans who need them most

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act will deliver the largest tax cut in history for working and middle-class Hoosiers, expand the child tax credit, spur new economic growth and job creation, and advance President Trump’s agenda.

This package includes my legislation to incentivize job-creating R&D activity in the United States to drive our innovation future and protect our national security. These critical R&D provisions will help America outcompete and out-innovate China. The legislation also includes my bill to leverage private sector investment to increase the stock of affordable housing in both urban and rural communities. This provision will help tackle the housing affordability crisis head on to help Hoosier families, expand our workforce, and strengthen our communities.

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act provides important resources to support and modernize our military. It also will significantly invest in border security to build more of our border wall and hire more border patrol officers. The bill also includes sensible reforms to strengthen government assistance programs by rooting out waste, fraud, and abuse and improving work requirements for able-bodied adults without young children or disabled dependents.

While I wish this legislation included additional fiscal reforms, this is a strong bill that will benefit Hoosier families and increase the security and prosperity of all Americans. Read more about this bill here.

Cargo Theft Is a Growing National Security Issue

In October 2024, PFL Logistics a third-party logistics company based in Evansville, Ind. lost $60,000 due to a stolen shipment. Scheduled for delivery using a previously trusted carrier, the shipment was proceeding as normal until communication with the carrier completely stopped. The cargo was never delivered.

As PFL tried to figure out what happened to the shipment, it was forced to absorb a significant loss for a business of its size. Unfortunately, this story is not unique to PFL. Cargo theft is on the rise across the country, threatening our supply chains and hurting American businesses and consumers.

The term “cargo theft” encompasses all large-scale theft operations targeting the shipping and cargo industries. Since 2020, cargo theft has surged across the country, reaching a decade high by some calculations. With the rise of e-commerce, this crime domain includes sophisticated domestic and international groups from places like China, Eastern Europe, and Mexico. I’ve learned that these criminals not only hijack trucks and rob rail cars but also exploit vulnerabilities in the online ecosystem. They often concoct elaborate and fraudulent schemes to deceive businesses and other third parties and steal or hold their cargo hostage.

Transnational groups are using complex tactics and technology to target high-value goods to steal and finance illegal activities like drug smuggling. And, because cargo theft takes so many forms from spoofing and fictitious pickups to phishing and identity theft this crime is hard to spot and stop, enabling repeat offenders.

Homeland Security Investigations estimates that the annual loss from cargo theft accounts is $15-35 billion annually, with these costs ultimately being shouldered by customers when retailers are forced to raise prices to recover losses.

Eliminating cargo theft will require an “all hands on deck” approach that involves Congress, federal agencies, local law enforcement, and the private sector. We must come together to stop these criminals that are hurting our supply chains and threatening our national security.

Read my recent Washington Times column about this issue by clicking here.

U.S. Attorney Nominees for Indiana

President Donald Trump recently announced his intent to nominate Adam Mildred as U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Indiana and Thomas Wheeler II as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana.

The experience and expertise of both Adam and Tom would make them assets to Indiana. I look forward to supporting these Hoosiers through their confirmation process.