WASHINGTON, D.C. – After spending his first seven months in office working on lowering the cost of prescription drugs, offering ideas to combat the opioid crisis, lowering the cost of higher education and advancing pro-growth economic policies, today U.S. Senator Mike Braun is announcing details on the first two weeks of his Summer of Solutions Tour which will span the months of August and September and kicks off next week.
“In August, I will embark on my Summer of Solutions Tour, where I’ll visit over 50 cities, and meet with Hoosiers to discuss solutions to lower drug prices, fix the opioid crisis, and further economic policies that will keep Hoosier business strong,â€Â said U.S. Senator Mike Braun. “As a former entrepreneur I know you have to listen to the customer to solve problems, and I’m looking forward to meeting with Hoosiers across the state about solutions that will put Indiana and our country first.â€
On August 20, 2019, Senator Braun will announce the second portion of his Summer of Solutions Tour. All information is subject to change and any member of the press looking to RSVP for an individual event must do so to Mary Owens at Mary_Owens@braun.senate.gov.
BACKGROUND
Below are a few of Senator Mike Braun’s solutions he will be discussing on the Summer of Solutions Tour, including proposals on lowering the cost of prescription drugs, the opioid crisis, student loans, federal spending and economic policies:
- Senator Braun: Restoring sanity to drug pricing. “Before being elected to the U.S. Senate last year, I spent 37 years building a business in my hometown, hiring hundreds of Americans and taking on the insurance industry to give my employees quality affordable health care while covering pre-existing conditions. Today, I’m offering solutions to address the rising cost of prescription drugs by adding transparency to our pricing negotiations, clearing the way for more prescription drug approvals by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and providing oversight and accountability for the pharmaceutical industry.â€Â (The Washington Times, 03/06/19)
- Senator Braun: Two straightforward solutions to help combat opioid crisis. “The opioid crisis is a plague on our communities that has left a devastating and permanent impact on Indiana and the country. Here in Indiana alone, we have lost nearly 15,000 Hoosiers to drug overdoses since 1999 and the number rises each day. This year, opioids continue to be the biggest contributor in drug overdose deaths in our state. On average, we lose five Hoosiers a day to an overdose, and three out of those five individuals overdosed on opioids. Nationwide, we lose roughly 175 Americans a day to this crisis. … Hoosiers sent me to Washington to offer solutions. This week, I introduced two straightforward solutions to help combat this crisis through education and prevention: ensuring every patient knows the risks inherent in every opioid drug they take, and that every prescriber knows how these drugs can shatter – and end – lives.â€Â (The Herald Tribune, 05/20/19)
- Senator Braun: Solutions to eliminate the student loan tax. “Today, Senator Mike Braun introduced the Student Loan Tax Elimination Act of 2019, which removes the ‘origination fee’ adding unnecessary debt to student borrowers’ overall student loan costs. ‘Student loan origination fees are nothing more than a hidden tax that burdens students,’ said Senator Mike Braun. ‘This legislation is a step forward and offers one solution to addressing our broken higher education system that fails to put students first.’â€Â (Press Release, 06/04/19)
- Senator Braun: Solutions to finally get a grip on federal spending. “The massive spending deal, negotiated by Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and agreed to by the president, looks poised to kill off the Budget Control Act of 2011—the law that was meant to restrain federal spending. With that law on the way out, the question arises: Where can fiscal conservatives turn to exert real and lasting fiscal discipline? Thankfully, two members of Congress have introduced a bill to do just that. The Maximizing America’s Prosperity Act—or MAP Act—is a bill proposed by Rep. Kevin Brady, R-Texas, and Sen. Mike Braun, R-Ind., that would limit federal spending to a fixed portion of the economy, adjusted for economic conditions.â€Â (Daily Signal, 07/25/19)
- Senator Braun calls on Congress to back America’s workers and approve Trump’s USMCA Deal. “The last time Congress meaningfully debated trade between our two North American partners, the Buffalo Bills had just lost their third consecutive Super Bowl and Mrs. Doubtfire was in theaters. In 1993, very few Americans had a cellphone, and no one had ever heard of buying a book on Amazon. This is why President Donald J. Trump decided to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The agreement was woefully out of date, and over time, our trading relationship with Canada and Mexico has fallen out of balance. President Trump kept his promise to renegotiate NAFTA, signing the United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement (USMCA) in November 2018, but congressional Democrats are refusing to bring the USMCA for a vote, because it pains them to admit that President Trump is successfully delivering real results for our economy. … As a Main Street entrepreneur who has created hundreds of American jobs, I applaud President Trump’s action to rectify the longstanding inequities in our trade relationships that have hurt American workers. Now it’s up to Congress to hold up our end of the deal and ratify the USMCA.â€Â (The Daily Caller, 06/04/19)
SENATOR BRAUN’S “SUMMER OF SOLUTIONS” TOUR STOPS:
For the Weeks of Monday, August 5, 2019 to Sunday, August 18, 2019Â
Tuesday, August 6, 2019 at 11:45 AMÂ
Tour of Zimmer Biomet
1800 West Center St.
Warsaw, Indiana
Closed Press
Tuesday, August 6, 2019 at 1:30 PMÂ
Lunch Stop at Big G’s CaféÂ
602 S Main Street
Columbia City, Indiana
Open Press
Tuesday, August 6, 2019 at 2:30 PMÂ
Tour of USSI Facility Â
4868 Park 30
Columbia City, Indiana
Open Press
Tuesday, August 6, 2019 at 3:45 PMÂ
Tour of Steel Dynamics  Â
2601 County Road 700E
Columbia City, Indiana
Closed Press
Wednesday, August 7, 2019 at 8:00 AMÂ
Tour of Indiana Air National Guard 112nd Fighter Wing  Â
3005 W Ferguson Rd
Fort Wayne, Indiana
Press availability at 8:00a at Heritage Park, directly adjacent to above address before gate. Tour is closed to the press.
Wednesday, August 7, 2019 at 11:00 AMÂ
Berne Chamber Luncheon    Â
205 E. Main Street
Fort Wayne, Indiana
Open PressÂ
Wednesday, August 7, 2019 at 12:45 PMÂ
Tour of Coca-Cola Bottling Company     Â
1617 N Meridian Street
Portland, Indiana
Closed Press
Wednesday, August 7, 2019 at 2:45 PMÂ
Tour of 3M Â Â Â Â Â Â
304 County Rd 75 E
Hartford City, Indiana
Closed Press
Wednesday, August 7, 2019 at 5:00 PMÂ
Tour of Davis-Purdue Agricultural Center and Herbert Davis Forestry Farm Â
6230 North State Road 1
Farmland, Indiana
Open Press
Thursday, August 8, 2019 at 8:00 AMÂ
Tour of Clif Bar Baking Company of Indianapolis
7575 Georgetown Road
Indianapolis, Indiana
Closed Press
Thursday, August 8, 2019 at 9:30 AMÂ
Tour of Hoosier Veteran Assistance Foundation Â
964 N Pennsylvania Street
Indianapolis, Indiana
Open Press
Thursday, August 8, 2019 at 11:30 AMÂ
Lunch at Shapiro’s Delicatessen Â
808 S Meridian Street
Indianapolis, Indiana
Open Press
Thursday, August 8, 2019 at 2:45 PMÂ
Listening Session with the Agribusiness Council of Indiana
555 S Indiana Street
Mooresville, Indiana
Closed Press
Thursday, August 8, 2019 at 4:00 PMÂ
Tour of CumminsÂ
5550 S 50 W
Columbus, Indiana
Closed Press
Friday, August 9, 2019 at 3:00 PM Central, 4:00 PM EasternÂ
Tour of Kron Farm, INFB President Â
17425 Owensville Road
Evansville, Indiana
Open Press
Tuesday, August 13, 2019 at 9:30 AMÂ
Visit to the 181st Intelligence Wing in Terre Haute
800 S Petercheff St
Terre Haute, Indiana
Open Press
Tuesday, August 13, 2019 at 11:30 AMÂ
Parke County Chamber & Parke County Community Foundation Luncheon Â
115 N Market Street
Rockville, Indiana
Open Press
Tuesday, August 13, 2019 at 1:30 PMÂ
Tour of Duke EnergyÂ
3300 Indiana 63
Cayuga, Indiana
Closed Press
Tuesday, August 13, 2019 at 3:30 PMÂ
Tour of Harrison Steel Castings Company Â
900 S Mound Street
Attica, Indiana
Closed Press
Tuesday, August 13, 2019 at 5:00 PMÂ
Warren County Corn & Soy Shop TalkÂ
5190 E 550 N
Attica, Indiana
Closed Press
Tuesday, August 13, 2019 at 6:30 PMÂ
Benton County Coffee HourÂ
410 S Adeway
Fowler, Indiana
Open Press
Thursday, August 15, 2019 at 12:15 PMÂ
Visit of Second Chance Pell Site at Westville Correctional Facility
5501 S 1100 W
Westville, Indiana
Closed Press
Thursday, August 15, 2019 at 2:00 PMÂ
Northwest Indiana Forum MeetingÂ
1915 S Heaton Street
Knox, Indiana
Closed Press
Thursday, August 15, 2019 at 4:30 PMÂ
White County Coffee Hour at Tippecanoe Country Club Â
3267 NW Shafer Dr
Monticello, Indiana
Open Press
