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Indiana’s new governor is doing what Washington won’t: he’s hunting down fraud and protecting taxpayer dollars. Gov. Mike Braun told Newsmax that Indiana’s Medicaid rolls are down 11 percent since he took office and that targeted eligibility reviews have already produced hundreds of millions in projected savings. This is the kind of plainspoken, results-oriented leadership Americans expect when waste and abuse are rampant in big government programs.
Braun explained his team found thousands of obvious errors — people who belonged on Medicare, not Medicaid, and instances of double-dipping across state lines — calling it “low-hanging fruit” that any competent manager would pluck. Those fixes alone accounted for thousands of cases and major cost reductions, showing that a commitment to oversight pays off quickly. That kind of common-sense housekeeping is what separates a functioning state government from the bureaucratic chaos D.C. celebrates.
The governor pushed back on breathless claims that massive, multi-state fraud could happen without state leaders noticing, saying bluntly that no governor could “miss $9 billion” bleeding out of the system. National probes into welfare and unemployment fraud in other states make it clear the problem exists, but Braun’s point is simple: when you run government like a business you find the leaks and you stop them. Conservatives should be making this argument every day — no more excuses for sloppy, taxpayer-funded giveaways.
Braun credits his private-sector background for the hard line he’s taken, and he’s right to do so; Washington’s culture of permissiveness and political theater won’t fix these problems. States can’t print money — they must balance budgets — and that fiscal discipline forces leaders to root out abuse rather than paper it over. Indiana’s approach proves that efficiency and accountability are not partisan slogans but practical necessities for good government.
This isn’t limited to Medicaid. Last year Governor Braun signed executive orders to tighten unemployment eligibility checks and require better work-search accountability, steps designed to stop fraud and help Hoosiers get back to work. Those orders ordered cross-checks with new-hire directories, death records, and multi-state data hubs while demanding quarterly reports to the governor. It’s the kind of proactive, data-driven governance that left-leaning bureaucrats love to pretend is impossible.
Washington will loudly declare concern while doing nothing meaningful, because the real fixes threaten bureaucratic fiefdoms and campaign donors. If Congress had the stomach for reform it would act, but as Braun noted getting 60 senators to agree is a fantasy under the current system. That means states must lead the way, and every governor who values taxpayers should follow Indiana’s blueprint for audits, cross-checks, and accountability.
Hardworking Americans deserve leaders who protect their paychecks and defend the dignity of work, not politicians who expand dependency and excuse fraud. Governor Braun’s results-minded approach is a reminder that conservative governance works when it’s applied with courage and common sense. If more states replicate Indiana’s toughness, we can push back against the culture of waste and put public funds back where they belong — serving those truly in need.
