Bray: White House Meeting Was About Policy, Not Maps

Indiana’s top legislative leaders returned from Washington this week with a simple message: the trip was about getting things done, not drawing battle lines.

Senate President Pro Tem Rodric Bray said the “State Leadership Conference for Indiana” at the White House on Tuesday was largely a working session on core policy areas. “My colleagues and I are grateful for the opportunity to meet with White House officials, and all in all, I would consider the event extremely productive,” Bray said Wednesday, Aug. 27. “The White House recognized the way Indiana is leading the nation on issues like school choice, election security and fiscally responsible Medicaid reform. Indiana has strong alignment with the Trump Administration on these and other issues. While redistricting did come up and members were able to ask questions, we spent the bulk of our afternoon discussing issues like energy, immigration and preventing waste and fraud in government.”

The Hoosier delegation spent several hours in meetings with senior officials, part of an ongoing conversation between state leaders and the administration on where federal and state efforts can better align. From Bray’s readout, the tone was pragmatic: focus on what’s working in Indiana, compare notes, and look for efficiencies that protect taxpayers.

Redistricting, a subject that has dominated national headlines, did come up. But Bray’s framing was clear—lawmakers used the time to ask questions, not to unveil plans. The emphasis, he said, stayed on policy areas where Indiana has staked out a reputation for moving early and with discipline, from school choice to shoring up election systems to keeping Medicaid sustainable.

The timing gave the visit added significance. Indiana legislators were in Washington earlier this week for the meetings, and the discussions offered a window into how state-federal coordination might shape priorities heading into the midterm calendar. Even with the redistricting debate in the background, Bray’s summary suggested a broader agenda was front and center.

Energy policy and immigration rounded out much of the agenda, with a practical thread running through it: curb waste and fraud, measure outcomes, and keep costs down for families. That’s familiar terrain for Indiana’s legislative leadership, which has positioned the state as a testing ground for conservative policy ideas that aim to deliver steady, measurable results.

What happens next will unfold back in Indianapolis. For now, Bray’s account reads less like a headline-grabber and more like a status report: a productive afternoon, pointed questions where politics demand them, and a heavier focus on the nuts and bolts of governing. In a season when redistricting talk can swallow the oxygen, Indiana’s leaders cast their Washington stop as something quieter—and, in their view, more useful.