Republican Gov. Mike Braun was the keynote speaker for his first Lunch with the Governor event by the Evansville Regional Economic Partnership (EREP) Tuesday afternoon.
He talked about the differences between being a US senator and governor, his experience as governor for one year and the importance of running the government like a business. He said Evansville is an economic “oasis.”
“I'd advise you to be what you are, and that's kind of an oasis of prosperity,” he said. “You measure it by your people coming back, your county surrounding you are healthy.”
While in southern Indiana, he made a point to visit sometimes unhighlighted towns that have innovative projects — such as the correctional facility in Branchville with a job-training program to reduce recidivism.
Braun blamed the Biden administration for high property taxes and high utility bills — specifically the “hangover” from government spending during the COVID-19 pandemic.
He talked about his work to appoint three new commissioners to the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission (IURC) and attracting data centers to Indiana.
“We need more power generation, and we're going to be the leading edge on data centers that are put in places where people would actually want them,” he said. “And then the whole AI thing is real. We got to get there before China does. And Indiana is a place where everybody wants to do it.”
Redistricting to eliminate democrat seats in the US House of Representatives did not come up during his moderated comments, but he did take questions after the event.
He said hoosiers will benefit from redistricting through “fair representation in DC,” and redistricting Indiana would just be part of leveling the playing field against Democrats who he said have gerrymandered other states.
“The six bluest states in the northeast, three times the electoral votes have been gerrymandered for a long, long time. Six reddest in the West, maybe have one congressional district or two, so it's a big imbalance there. This is evening the playing field.”
Currently two of nine seats in Indiana are held by Democrats — the 7th District in Indianapolis and the 1st District near Chicago.
The special session to discuss redistricting starts early December.
Regarding SNAP benefits — Braun said he expects most states will not step up or help fill the gap while benefits are suspended currently, because it could set a precedent. He feels the program is mismanaged.
“Taking care of the people that need it the most through these programs — currently we don't do that because we run the whole operation there inefficiently. I think President Trump's trying to fix it. We're right at that breaking point.”
About 9,500 Vanderburgh County households use SNAP.
On Tuesday President Trump announced despite suggesting he’d allow half payments, none will be paid until after the government shutdown.
Support independent journalism today. You rely on WNIN to stay informed, and we depend on you to make our work possible. Give to grow our local reporting today. Donate
