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Indiana Governor Mike Braun went on Newsmax’s America Right Now to lay out what real leadership looks like when it comes to taxpayer money: an aggressive eligibility review that cut Medicaid rolls by 11 percent and is projected to save hundreds of millions of dollars. Braun described his administration’s work as targeting “low-hanging fruit” — catching people who were improperly enrolled and closing the loopholes that let waste flourish.
Braun told viewers Indiana identified more than 10,000 people who should have been on Medicare instead of Medicaid, and that the state’s reforms are expected to yield roughly $466 million in savings over the next two years. That’s the kind of results-driven, businesslike approach you get when someone who has run companies for decades runs a state, not a career politician who treats government like a perpetual spending spree.
When asked about headlines claiming up to $9 billion in fraud uncovered in Minnesota, Braun was blunt: “No way” a scandal of that magnitude could escape a governor’s notice. He’s right — if billions are vanishing from programs meant for the vulnerable, it isn’t a mystery; it’s a failure of management and oversight that demands accountability from elected officials.
The House Oversight Committee’s hearing on January 7 highlighted those very failures, with federal prosecutors estimating some $9 billion stolen from Minnesota social programs and the Justice Department charging dozens of defendants. That shocking tally and the arrests the DOJ has made underscore a national problem: when states and Washington stop policing funds, fraud multiplies and taxpayer dollars head into the pockets of criminals instead of into classrooms and clinics.
Republican oversight members rightly pressed Minnesota officials about alleged retaliation against whistleblowers and demands for records, and Chairman Comer has signaled more hearings and subpoenas are coming as Congress chases answers. If Democrats won’t prioritize program integrity, then Republican governors and oversight committees must lead the fight to rein in waste, strengthen audits, and restore common-sense verification so Americans get what they pay for.
Braun’s message is a blueprint: enforce the rules, stop the double-dipping across state lines, and insist on accountability every step of the way. Washington’s printing press mentality and partisan immunity have enabled this rot for too long, and it’s time for governors who balance budgets — not bureaucrats who write blank checks — to set the standard.
Hardworking Americans deserve leaders who treat their tax dollars with the seriousness they deserve, not politicians who shrug and blame “systemic issues.” If we want to protect needy children, seniors, and veterans, we must cut the fraud, prosecute the criminals, and reward the governors who do the tough work of protecting the public purse.
