When I travel throughout Indiana’s 2nd District, I hear the same frustration over and over again.
People work hard. They show up every day, raise their families, pay taxes, and contribute to their communities. They’re doing everything they were told would bring them success.
Yet somehow, they’re falling behind.
Rising Costs, Stagnant Wages: The Reality for Today’s Hoosiers
The grocery bill keeps climbing. The electric bill keeps climbing. The mortgage payment keeps climbing. Childcare costs keep climbing. Meanwhile, wages haven’t budged, and for many Hoosiers, the American Dream feels further away than it did a generation ago.
The people of Indiana have not suddenly stopped working hard.
Washington has stopped working for them.
Putting Main Street Ahead of Wall Street
I grew up in Elkhart County watching my family invest in this community. My parents strongly believed success carried an obligation to give back. They believed that a thriving community benefits everyone, not just those at the top.
Unfortunately, that’s not the economy Washington has built.
Instead, we’ve created a system that rewards financial speculation over an honest day’s work, benefits multinational corporations over local entrepreneurs, and prioritizes Wall Street over Main Street.
The result is an affordability crisis that is holding back families all across our district.
The Stagnant Wage Trap Squeezing Hoosier Families
One-third of Hoosiers now live at or near the poverty line—despite residing in Northern Indiana, one of the most productive manufacturing regions in the country.
While the cost of living skyrockets, Indiana’s minimum wage has remained stuck at $7.25 an hour since 2009. That’s not sustainable, and it’s not fair.
I believe a Hoosier working full-time should be able to afford housing, food, transportation, and basic necessities.
That’s why I support raising Indiana’s minimum wage to an inflation-adjusted living wage tied to local costs of living instead of political gamesmanship in Washington. Hard work should provide stability, not constant anxiety.
A Hidden Tax on Working Families: Unaffordable and Unavailable Childcare
I also believe childcare has become one of the biggest hidden economic barriers facing working families. Across Northern Indiana, the high cost of childcare or the lack of availability—especially in rural communities—forces parents who want to work out of the job market. Expanding affordable childcare helps families, of course, but the economic benefits are what will truly create a better tomorrow for our local communities.
Most importantly, we need to stop measuring economic success by stock market performance alone.
Whether a family in Elkhart, Goshen, South Bend, Plymouth, Nappanee, Warsaw, or Mishawaka can build a secure future should be the true test of our economy.
Can they buy a home?
Can they raise children?
Can they save for retirement?
Can they weather an unexpected emergency?
If the answer is no, then Washington’s economic policies have failed us.
I am running for Congress because I believe Hoosiers deserve an economy that rewards honest work, strengthens families, and creates opportunity.
Not someday. Not for some people. Now. For everyone.
Because the people who built this district deserve more than empty speeches about prosperity.
They deserve to actually experience it.
SUPPORT DECIO FOR CONGRESS NOW
Read my Economic Solutions for Indiana’s 2nd District page to learn more about how I plan to fight for you, your family, and a Hoosier-first economy over a Wall Street economy. It’s time to restore the American Dream in Indiana’s 2nd District.