100 Days In, Governor Braun Is Making Indiana Great Again
Promises made, promises kept.
Wednesday, April 23 marked 100 days in office for Governor Mike Braun, and Indiana has a lot to celebrate. From shrinking bureaucracy to restoring welfare program integrity and launching a comprehensive health agenda, Governor Braun’s Freedom and Opportunity agenda has earned its name, with the promise of so much more to come.
Governor Braun himself summed it up well earlier this year when discussing his deregulatory goals:
“Whenever you’re doing something like this, there’s always risk associated. … Most governors — and I’m going to say even most legislators — are generally risk averse. I can tell you, if you’re naturally risk averse, you’re going to be in a broad band of mediocrity.”
There is nothing mediocre about what Governor Braun has accomplished for the Hoosier State, and he has only just begun. Here’s a look at some of his biggest wins yet:
A leaner, more service-oriented state government
Governor Braun has made streamlining government and making state agencies more transparent a top priority. He signed an executive order directing state agencies to reduce their regulatory burdens by 25 percent by 2029. He is encouraging inter-agency communications to help reduce the number of hurdles people need to overcome to access state services. And he is promoting work by removing burdensome degree requirements for state jobs and directing state agencies to reduce licensing requirements wherever prudent.
Getting rid of DEI and ESG
Bye, bye, DEI! Governor Braun shifted the state’s focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion toward MEI, or merit, excellence, and innovation. DEI is divisive, expensive, and inefficient—and Governor Braun is right to refocus his state on encouraging the best and brightest, regardless of background, to pursue excellence. He doubled down on this when he prohibited the use of environmental justice in permitting, enforcement, or grant decisions.
Assessing waste, fraud, and abuse in welfare spending
Ensuring the integrity of welfare programs is critical to the government’s ability to provide services to those who truly need them. To restore program integrity in Indiana, Governor Braun directed state agencies to utilize and cross-check all available resources to verify the eligibility of benefit recipients. Similarly, Indiana’s Medicaid program was in dire straits when Governor Braun took office. With diligent work from the General Assembly and a governor-directed assessment on state Medicaid spending, Indiana is on its way to righting the ship.
Launching the Making Indiana Healthy Again initiative
Earlier this month, Governor Braun hosted Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz for a Make Indiana Healthy Again event in Indianapolis. Governor Braun signed nine executive orders aimed at helping Hoosiers live longer and healthier lives, including a widely supported ban on junk food in food stamps.
Governor Braun spent his first 100 days delivering on the promises he made to Hoosiers. We can’t wait to see what he does next!
