October 29, 2025 • 13 mins
Indiana Governor Mike Braun joined us from Indianapolis to discuss illegal immigration and its spillover from Chicago into northern sectors of the Hoosier state.
Gov. Braun and Terry Meiners also discussed the call for a special session to redraw Indiana congressional districts to mirror actions of Democrat controlled states with zero Republican representatives on their federal team.
Meiners also asked Gov. Braun for reaction to the potential wipeout of SNAP benefits during the government shutdown, now limping past three weeks of inaction by leaders in Washington.
Gov. Braun and Terry Meiners also discussed the call for a special session to redraw Indiana congressional districts to mirror actions of Democrat controlled states with zero Republican representatives on their federal team.
Meiners also asked Gov. Braun for reaction to the potential wipeout of SNAP benefits during the government shutdown, now limping past three weeks of inaction by leaders in Washington.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Time for another visit with the Indiana governor. His name
is Mike Brawn. I appreciate you jumping back on the
air with US governor.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
Be good to be back on Terry.
Speaker 1 (00:09):
You in Indianapolis today, you're working up north.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
No, I'm in India today.
Speaker 1 (00:14):
Very good. I know You've got tomorrow the Secretary of
Homeland Security, Christy Nome, and you are going to hold
a press conference up in Gary, Indiana, discussing Operation Midway
Blitz Midway I thought was a reference to Chicago. You're
the Indiana governor. What exactly is happening, sir.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
Well, if you're having those kinds of issues in Chicago,
they're gonna kind of filter down into the region as well.
So that is probably what Christie's wanting to address. And
of course we've let her and the administration know that
we're not going to be a sanctuary state or tolerate
(00:55):
sanctuary cities, and we're going to help them and any
way we can to make make sure that all the
illegal immigrants that came in and committed a crime to
boot and then we're going to help them get back
to where they came from.
Speaker 1 (01:09):
We hear lots of times here in Louisville, that there's
trouble that rolls down here from Chicago, right through your state,
right through Indianas and on down I sixty five. How
much do you see in Indiana in terms of what
you consider drug peddlers who may be connected to illegal immigration.
Speaker 2 (01:28):
Well, you're kind of near us and we're the crossroads
of America, so so much stuff comes through Kentucky Indiana.
I mean, we've got more interstates per square mile than
any state, So yes, we're going to see it, ironically,
even in some of the smaller towns and cities along
(01:50):
these byways. But Lucky, we've got a very proactive state
police and we never let it get much of a foothold.
Our biggest issue now would be dealing with homelessness and
crime that comes along with it, and of course drugs
here in our state capitol, and I think there's a
(02:11):
lot of attention being paid to it to maybe bolster
our own Indianapolis Municipal Police Department, and I've had to
do that a couple times. We had a very tough
weekend back in July fourth where there were a couple
fatalities downtown in that very seldom happens. Most of the stats,
(02:33):
and sadly deaths occur out around the city, but it's
an issue for any larger metro area. And some places
are more proactive. And I don't know how places like Chicago, Seattle, Portland,
you know, where they actually seemingly invite it. How that
means anything other than citizens in the long run will
(02:54):
probably not stay there. They'll actually start voting with their feet.
Speaker 1 (03:00):
But Chicago's open arms does make trouble for you in Indiana.
As we noted the press conferences in Gary up there,
and that's a rough area at the top of Indiana.
That's a lot of Chicago's troubles that bleed across your border.
Speaker 2 (03:13):
I mean it is Gary is it was our second
and largest city when steel was really rolling. And now
of course that's Fort Wayne and Gary had gone from
one hundred and eighty thousand people down to sixty and
a lot of the town is needing, you know, real
kind of a redevelopment. And they've got a mayor up
(03:34):
there that I think is finally going to get things
turned in the right direction. It's got you know, the
Gary Airport, which is a diamond in a rough casino,
a convention center, fat X just put a big development
up there. So we're right at the cusp of maybe
turning Gary around, and there's going to be a lot
(03:54):
of ground for redevelopment. You know what, once you get
rid of the blight of air Is. And ironically, the
fact that we're in Indiana was such a more favorable
tax code regulations. It's actually, I think going to be rebuildable.
It'll just take a while. It fell a long distance.
Speaker 1 (04:13):
Were speaking with Indiana's governor Mike Brown. Obviously you made
a lot of the headlines earlier in the week talking
about calling in a special session that begins next week.
What are you hoping to accomplish with this special session?
Speaker 2 (04:26):
Well, I think it's going to be called very simply
evening the playing field. I cite a few really graphic comparisons.
The six New England states, all of them vote about
forty percent Republican, and they probably have three times the
population of the sixth all red states out west that
(04:48):
many of them have a congressional district, maybe two, and
there's three times the population. Hasn't been a Republican congressman
in a long time. You look at our neighbor to
the west, Illinois, in twenty four that election went forty
seven percent Republican, way up from what it has been
(05:09):
recently fifty three percent. Damn Yet seventeen of their seventeen
House seats fourteen have been gerrymandered disproportionately to favor. So
Democrats have pretty well taken that game plan, run it
to the max, and now are complaining about Republican states
(05:30):
one to even the playing field. Not to mention the
fact that illegal immigrants are counted in the census in
all states, and of course they disproportionately live in California, Illinois,
and New York. You know that is several congressional seats
that are created by that part of the census being
(05:53):
used to create congressional districts, trying to even that out.
Speaker 1 (05:57):
So you have a couple of Democratic members of GRISTA
in Indiana. Is the plan since the Republicans have a
super majority, is the plan to then redraw districts to
try and squeeze them out and get Republicans in those
seats to as you say, even the score.
Speaker 2 (06:14):
The plan would be to make it to where if
we want values of faith, family, community, limited government, quit
borrowing money at the federal level, from our kids and grandkids.
I think it's our responsibility to do it. And if
we're trying to say no because we're too genteel, we
(06:35):
don't want to make two wrongs don't make a right.
I think the Dems would do this at a heartbeat.
They laugh at us when we make those considerations, and
we finally got somebody in the White House that would
actually do something with it in terms of making policies,
straightening out issues that have chronically beset the country over
(06:56):
the last three to four decades. With this and spend
government that's been.
Speaker 1 (07:01):
In place, we're hearing that the Trump administration, of course,
is in the year of all the Republican governors. You
met with Vice President J. D. Vance in August. I
know there was in Indianapolis October tenth another meeting with you,
as well as Republican State House and Senate members. So
are they dictating the plans for these special legislative sessions
(07:23):
and then passing them on to Republican governors like yourself.
Speaker 2 (07:27):
Any legislator will tell you that there has been no
arm twisting, no forceful this, or that they've been making
the case just like I did. And then I think
there were some legislators in the Senate that were just
wanting to run the clock out. So once I did
(07:49):
declare that we were going to have a special session,
the number of senators that we need are twenty five,
and in roughly three days we've gone from about four
that were public for it to now fourteen, and we
have roughly eight or nine that have said, even though
(08:10):
not publicly, they would support it. So I just could
see that movement and I think we'll get there, and
if not, it would be the fault of our own
Senate not doing what our house is ready to do.
And to me again, it's based upon making sure conservatives
have an even playing field in DC with Democrats that
(08:33):
have run the show for a long time.
Speaker 1 (08:35):
On policy, fourteen plus eight or nine is twenty two
or twenty three. You need twenty five. So what happens
do you get on the phone? Do you does somebody say, Governor,
I need a bridge fixed in my account? How does
this work?
Speaker 2 (08:51):
There will be no quid pro quo, there will only
be common sense persuasion, and it'll be up to them.
A state that Trump is as popular as any in
the country. I think ninety to ninety two percent of
who's your Republicans are favorable, and that's about as high
as you get in any state, and I think there
(09:14):
will be some supporters, a lot of constituents. And the
only polling has been done by Democrat and moderate groups
and it was when there was not much discussion about it,
and it has moved dramatically just since it was declared
(09:35):
it's going to be a public discussion on the subject.
So I think we've done everything we can and we're
we were gaining numbers, but it's amazing how many have
come across to the sensible side since it's become now
a fact that we will have a special session to
discuss it publicly.
Speaker 1 (09:56):
Typically though special session wouldn't be called until you already
knew you had your car guards in hand so well.
Speaker 2 (10:02):
But you normally that would be the case, other than
you'd run out of time if you were going to
want to do it to where you could get it
done to where it would impact things in twenty six
So a lot of this stuff you got to do where,
and if not, it's not the end of the world,
but it should be something we do. Four or five
(10:24):
other maybe up to six or seven states are going
to do it. Missouri, Texas already have Ohio is doing it,
you know, because they had it already scheduled. Like you're
going to see places like North Carolina, Kansas, Florida, South Carolina,
(10:44):
a bunch of other states that have kind of done
what Indiana has done and not even the playing field,
and where Democrats really have hardly any flexibility because they're
already so jerry mannered.
Speaker 1 (10:56):
But you you are the weather balloon. Then for these
other states, they want to see what happened after your
session next week.
Speaker 2 (11:01):
No, I think they're going to probably go forward with it,
So Indiana would be the exception so far. And I
think North Carolina had just approved it and maybe got
a Democratic governor, so that is interesting. And I think
our own legislators that are still kind of on the
fence straddling will see that and make the right decision.
Speaker 1 (11:21):
All right, governor. Last thing, it looks like people obviously
are up in arms over the snap benefits the government
shut down the end of this month and the changes
that could come for what are kind ofly known as
food stamps. What is your situation in Indiana in terms
of funding and what to do for folks who don't
have access to food.
Speaker 2 (11:43):
Yeah, I think on that whenever you're talking about food
and the people that need it, food banks or the
place where I wish more of it went through as
opposed to the government kind of being the catalyst. And
it is something where you do have a situation where
people get dependent on it. States don't really have the
(12:04):
ability to come in and supplement that. I think it's
probably what will get Democrats off dead center. They have
done in the past what Republicans are asking them to do.
Pass a clean continuing resolution, all of that goes away.
This is clearly on the shoulders of Chuck Schumer. He's
(12:26):
trying to have his cake and eat it too. In
the past, they have Republicans have always come around to
do the right thing and then negotiate afterwards. In this case,
Chuck did it in the past and now he's asking
for something different.
Speaker 1 (12:41):
I see all right, Governor, great talking to you again.
Indiana plays Maryland this weekend. That's a win, right for
your football team.
Speaker 2 (12:50):
Well, I think football in Indiana is now at the
place where basketball used to be. The pretty good shape there, Toots, excellent. Yeah,
we're lucky in that department.
Speaker 1 (13:02):
Maryland you're gonna beat them, yes or no?
Speaker 2 (13:05):
I would say yes, uh huh.
Speaker 1 (13:06):
Penn State is hapless, they're coachless. Well, you know, their
main coach is gone. Then you've got Wisconsin coming to Bloomington,
and then you're going to Purdue. They're gonna run the
table through the regular season.
Speaker 2 (13:16):
I think they'll be undefeated, and I think this will
be the first time you're gonna have probably the two
national championship contenders actually meeting in the Big Ten Championship.
Speaker 1 (13:31):
Yeah, a lot of people think that. Governor Mike Braun,
thanks for the time.
Speaker 2 (13:35):
Okay, see, yeah, I'm right.
Speaker 1 (13:36):
Indiana's Governor Mike Braun live from Indianapolis right back on
news radio eight forty whas
Time for another visit with the Indiana governor. His name
is Mike Brawn. I appreciate you jumping back on the
air with US governor.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
Be good to be back on Terry.
Speaker 1 (00:09):
You in Indianapolis today, you're working up north.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
No, I'm in India today.
Speaker 1 (00:14):
Very good. I know You've got tomorrow the Secretary of
Homeland Security, Christy Nome, and you are going to hold
a press conference up in Gary, Indiana, discussing Operation Midway
Blitz Midway I thought was a reference to Chicago. You're
the Indiana governor. What exactly is happening, sir.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
Well, if you're having those kinds of issues in Chicago,
they're gonna kind of filter down into the region as well.
So that is probably what Christie's wanting to address. And
of course we've let her and the administration know that
we're not going to be a sanctuary state or tolerate
(00:55):
sanctuary cities, and we're going to help them and any
way we can to make make sure that all the
illegal immigrants that came in and committed a crime to
boot and then we're going to help them get back
to where they came from.
Speaker 1 (01:09):
We hear lots of times here in Louisville, that there's
trouble that rolls down here from Chicago, right through your state,
right through Indianas and on down I sixty five. How
much do you see in Indiana in terms of what
you consider drug peddlers who may be connected to illegal immigration.
Speaker 2 (01:28):
Well, you're kind of near us and we're the crossroads
of America, so so much stuff comes through Kentucky Indiana.
I mean, we've got more interstates per square mile than
any state, So yes, we're going to see it, ironically,
even in some of the smaller towns and cities along
(01:50):
these byways. But Lucky, we've got a very proactive state
police and we never let it get much of a foothold.
Our biggest issue now would be dealing with homelessness and
crime that comes along with it, and of course drugs
here in our state capitol, and I think there's a
(02:11):
lot of attention being paid to it to maybe bolster
our own Indianapolis Municipal Police Department, and I've had to
do that a couple times. We had a very tough
weekend back in July fourth where there were a couple
fatalities downtown in that very seldom happens. Most of the stats,
(02:33):
and sadly deaths occur out around the city, but it's
an issue for any larger metro area. And some places
are more proactive. And I don't know how places like Chicago, Seattle, Portland,
you know, where they actually seemingly invite it. How that
means anything other than citizens in the long run will
(02:54):
probably not stay there. They'll actually start voting with their feet.
Speaker 1 (03:00):
But Chicago's open arms does make trouble for you in Indiana.
As we noted the press conferences in Gary up there,
and that's a rough area at the top of Indiana.
That's a lot of Chicago's troubles that bleed across your border.
Speaker 2 (03:13):
I mean it is Gary is it was our second
and largest city when steel was really rolling. And now
of course that's Fort Wayne and Gary had gone from
one hundred and eighty thousand people down to sixty and
a lot of the town is needing, you know, real
kind of a redevelopment. And they've got a mayor up
(03:34):
there that I think is finally going to get things
turned in the right direction. It's got you know, the
Gary Airport, which is a diamond in a rough casino,
a convention center, fat X just put a big development
up there. So we're right at the cusp of maybe
turning Gary around, and there's going to be a lot
(03:54):
of ground for redevelopment. You know what, once you get
rid of the blight of air Is. And ironically, the
fact that we're in Indiana was such a more favorable
tax code regulations. It's actually, I think going to be rebuildable.
It'll just take a while. It fell a long distance.
Speaker 1 (04:13):
Were speaking with Indiana's governor Mike Brown. Obviously you made
a lot of the headlines earlier in the week talking
about calling in a special session that begins next week.
What are you hoping to accomplish with this special session?
Speaker 2 (04:26):
Well, I think it's going to be called very simply
evening the playing field. I cite a few really graphic comparisons.
The six New England states, all of them vote about
forty percent Republican, and they probably have three times the
population of the sixth all red states out west that
(04:48):
many of them have a congressional district, maybe two, and
there's three times the population. Hasn't been a Republican congressman
in a long time. You look at our neighbor to
the west, Illinois, in twenty four that election went forty
seven percent Republican, way up from what it has been
(05:09):
recently fifty three percent. Damn Yet seventeen of their seventeen
House seats fourteen have been gerrymandered disproportionately to favor. So
Democrats have pretty well taken that game plan, run it
to the max, and now are complaining about Republican states
(05:30):
one to even the playing field. Not to mention the
fact that illegal immigrants are counted in the census in
all states, and of course they disproportionately live in California, Illinois,
and New York. You know that is several congressional seats
that are created by that part of the census being
(05:53):
used to create congressional districts, trying to even that out.
Speaker 1 (05:57):
So you have a couple of Democratic members of GRISTA
in Indiana. Is the plan since the Republicans have a
super majority, is the plan to then redraw districts to
try and squeeze them out and get Republicans in those
seats to as you say, even the score.
Speaker 2 (06:14):
The plan would be to make it to where if
we want values of faith, family, community, limited government, quit
borrowing money at the federal level, from our kids and grandkids.
I think it's our responsibility to do it. And if
we're trying to say no because we're too genteel, we
(06:35):
don't want to make two wrongs don't make a right.
I think the Dems would do this at a heartbeat.
They laugh at us when we make those considerations, and
we finally got somebody in the White House that would
actually do something with it in terms of making policies,
straightening out issues that have chronically beset the country over
(06:56):
the last three to four decades. With this and spend
government that's been.
Speaker 1 (07:01):
In place, we're hearing that the Trump administration, of course,
is in the year of all the Republican governors. You
met with Vice President J. D. Vance in August. I
know there was in Indianapolis October tenth another meeting with you,
as well as Republican State House and Senate members. So
are they dictating the plans for these special legislative sessions
(07:23):
and then passing them on to Republican governors like yourself.
Speaker 2 (07:27):
Any legislator will tell you that there has been no
arm twisting, no forceful this, or that they've been making
the case just like I did. And then I think
there were some legislators in the Senate that were just
wanting to run the clock out. So once I did
(07:49):
declare that we were going to have a special session,
the number of senators that we need are twenty five,
and in roughly three days we've gone from about four
that were public for it to now fourteen, and we
have roughly eight or nine that have said, even though
(08:10):
not publicly, they would support it. So I just could
see that movement and I think we'll get there, and
if not, it would be the fault of our own
Senate not doing what our house is ready to do.
And to me again, it's based upon making sure conservatives
have an even playing field in DC with Democrats that
(08:33):
have run the show for a long time.
Speaker 1 (08:35):
On policy, fourteen plus eight or nine is twenty two
or twenty three. You need twenty five. So what happens
do you get on the phone? Do you does somebody say, Governor,
I need a bridge fixed in my account? How does
this work?
Speaker 2 (08:51):
There will be no quid pro quo, there will only
be common sense persuasion, and it'll be up to them.
A state that Trump is as popular as any in
the country. I think ninety to ninety two percent of
who's your Republicans are favorable, and that's about as high
as you get in any state, and I think there
(09:14):
will be some supporters, a lot of constituents. And the
only polling has been done by Democrat and moderate groups
and it was when there was not much discussion about it,
and it has moved dramatically just since it was declared
(09:35):
it's going to be a public discussion on the subject.
So I think we've done everything we can and we're
we were gaining numbers, but it's amazing how many have
come across to the sensible side since it's become now
a fact that we will have a special session to
discuss it publicly.
Speaker 1 (09:56):
Typically though special session wouldn't be called until you already
knew you had your car guards in hand so well.
Speaker 2 (10:02):
But you normally that would be the case, other than
you'd run out of time if you were going to
want to do it to where you could get it
done to where it would impact things in twenty six
So a lot of this stuff you got to do where,
and if not, it's not the end of the world,
but it should be something we do. Four or five
(10:24):
other maybe up to six or seven states are going
to do it. Missouri, Texas already have Ohio is doing it,
you know, because they had it already scheduled. Like you're
going to see places like North Carolina, Kansas, Florida, South Carolina,
(10:44):
a bunch of other states that have kind of done
what Indiana has done and not even the playing field,
and where Democrats really have hardly any flexibility because they're
already so jerry mannered.
Speaker 1 (10:56):
But you you are the weather balloon. Then for these
other states, they want to see what happened after your
session next week.
Speaker 2 (11:01):
No, I think they're going to probably go forward with it,
So Indiana would be the exception so far. And I
think North Carolina had just approved it and maybe got
a Democratic governor, so that is interesting. And I think
our own legislators that are still kind of on the
fence straddling will see that and make the right decision.
Speaker 1 (11:21):
All right, governor. Last thing, it looks like people obviously
are up in arms over the snap benefits the government
shut down the end of this month and the changes
that could come for what are kind ofly known as
food stamps. What is your situation in Indiana in terms
of funding and what to do for folks who don't
have access to food.
Speaker 2 (11:43):
Yeah, I think on that whenever you're talking about food
and the people that need it, food banks or the
place where I wish more of it went through as
opposed to the government kind of being the catalyst. And
it is something where you do have a situation where
people get dependent on it. States don't really have the
(12:04):
ability to come in and supplement that. I think it's
probably what will get Democrats off dead center. They have
done in the past what Republicans are asking them to do.
Pass a clean continuing resolution, all of that goes away.
This is clearly on the shoulders of Chuck Schumer. He's
(12:26):
trying to have his cake and eat it too. In
the past, they have Republicans have always come around to
do the right thing and then negotiate afterwards. In this case,
Chuck did it in the past and now he's asking
for something different.
Speaker 1 (12:41):
I see all right, Governor, great talking to you again.
Indiana plays Maryland this weekend. That's a win, right for
your football team.
Speaker 2 (12:50):
Well, I think football in Indiana is now at the
place where basketball used to be. The pretty good shape there, Toots, excellent. Yeah,
we're lucky in that department.
Speaker 1 (13:02):
Maryland you're gonna beat them, yes or no?
Speaker 2 (13:05):
I would say yes, uh huh.
Speaker 1 (13:06):
Penn State is hapless, they're coachless. Well, you know, their
main coach is gone. Then you've got Wisconsin coming to Bloomington,
and then you're going to Purdue. They're gonna run the
table through the regular season.
Speaker 2 (13:16):
I think they'll be undefeated, and I think this will
be the first time you're gonna have probably the two
national championship contenders actually meeting in the Big Ten Championship.
Speaker 1 (13:31):
Yeah, a lot of people think that. Governor Mike Braun,
thanks for the time.
Speaker 2 (13:35):
Okay, see, yeah, I'm right.
Speaker 1 (13:36):
Indiana's Governor Mike Braun live from Indianapolis right back on
news radio eight forty whas
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