By Sydney Byerly
The Indiana Citizen
April 22, 2025
The State Budget Committee met on April 16 to discuss revenue, economic and Medicaid forecasts amid a projected $2.4 billion shortfall raining on Indiana Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith’s chances for additional funding for his office.
Back in March, Beckwith, who is also a pastor at Life Church in Noblesville and an avowed Christian nationalist, requested $3 million in additional funding from the Senate Appropriations Committee for what he called faith-based initiatives, which potentially include money for controversial conversion therapy.
Neither the Appropriations Committee nor the Republican Senate appear to have tried to bolster the lieutenant governor’s budget with any additional funding. The committee sent House Bill 1001 to the Senate floor on April 10, and it passed through the upper chamber on April 15.
After the State Budget Committee received the revenue forecast last week, Sen. Ryan Mishler, chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, seemed to close the door on any state office or agency getting more money.
“If anybody has the audacity to come and ask us for more money, (we’ll) more than likely just take them off,” the Mishawaka Republican said. “So, we just have a lot of tough decisions to make, and we just have to be disciplined.”
As of April 22, Beckwith appears to have not issued any public statement or made any comment on social media about the revenue forecast or the likelihood of his office receiving the additional funds. The Indiana Citizen reached out to his office for comment but received no reply.
Even before the Appropriations Committee denied Beckwith’s request for more funding, his office was set to receive less money than his predecessor. House Bill 1001 included a nearly $500,000 reduction to the lieutenant governor’s budget, giving Beckwith $3.69 million for operating expenses, compared to the $4.15 million provided to former Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch in the 2023-25 budget.
With the high-pressure outlook from the revenue forecast and a tight deadline to pass a biennial budget, the General Assembly appears unlikely to open the umbrella or find the $3 million extra for Beckwith between now and the end of the session on April 29.
However, Beckwith’s request, if granted, would double his budget, giving him $6.69 million to work with if lawmakers can find the funds—a seemingly improbable feat with the end of the session rapidly approaching and lawmakers squabbling over where to trim funding in the proposed budget.
Sen. David Niezgodski, D-South Bend, the ranking minority member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, cited to Gov. Mike Braun’s call for budgetary restraint and said that because of the extremely tight fiscal environment, the legislature must find a way to “do more with less.”
Niezgodski told The Indiana Citizen: “While I appreciate the lieutenant governor’s ambition, his proposal for a funding increase appears to be at odds with the governor’s directive for all state agencies to cut their budgets by 5%. At a time when critical services like Medicaid and public education aren’t seeing significant increases, we need to focus on initiatives that deliver the most benefit to all Hoosiers.
“Given the lack of clarity around how the requested funds would be used, I believe there are still important questions that need to be answered before moving forward,” Niezgodski added in his emailed statement. “Additionally, we just found out last week at the April revenue forecast that we are in a $2.4 billion shortfall, so we are looking into budget requests, state offices, and a multitude of places to see where we can save.”
Ben Tooley, director of fiscal policy for the Indiana House Republican Caucus, told the State Budget Committee that the $2 billion-plus shortfall would cascade over the course of the 2025-27 budget if current economic conditions continue. The $403 million reduction in revenues forecast for 2025 would increase to $963.9 million in 2026, before topping $1 billion in 2027.
Tooley linked the state’s projected loss in revenue to policies at the federal level in relation to tariffs, tax cuts, federal layoffs and immigration under the current Trump administration.
State Budget Committee member Rep. Gregory Porter, D-Indianapolis, raised concern about the revenue forecast being released so close to the end of the legislative session, saying the tight deadline is forcing lawmakers into “writing this budget with a blindfold.”
“Federal actions could completely change our trajectory,” Porter said. “We’re one of the most intense manufacturing states in the nation, so we could get hit hard. When the U.S. gets a cold, Indiana gets pneumonia.”
Braun reacted to the revenue forecast via press release, saying he blames Indiana’s shortage of funds on former President Joe Biden’s economic policies.
“Today’s forecast reflects what we are dealing with in the aftermath of disastrous Bidenflation. There will be some tough times ahead, but the America First economic policies we are pursuing here and in Washington will unleash an economic boom.
“However, we must finalize a biennial budget that respects the revenue forecast and protects Hoosier taxpayers from a worst-case scenario. I will work with the General Assembly to craft a budget that is structurally balanced, maintains strong reserves, and funds vital services like public safety and education.”
On April 21, the budget’s Conference Committee met to determine where cuts can be made, where new potential sources of income could be located and to hear testimony from the public about what to prioritize.
During the meeting, Rep. Jeff Thompson, R-Lizton, the committee chairman and author of HB 1001, faced questioning from Sen. Fady Qaddoura, D-Indianapolis, about what is potentially on the chopping block. However, Thompson deflected, saying everything could potentially be on the table.
After the meeting, Qaddoura told the press that he’s disappointed that lawmakers are not making more of an effort to talk about the budget publicly. He said their constituents are expecting them to be transparent, not secretive, and to give them the opportunity to weigh in with their concerns.
“If we (Democratic lawmakers) are not invited to these discussions, we will force the discussions (onto) the Senate floor and the House floor to be sure that the public knows where their legislators stand on the issue,” Qaddoura said. “While we can’t control who gets invited to these closed-door meetings, we will not sit on the sideline and let this discussion move forward without having a full public discussion on how we protect the public and the public’s interests.”
During the March 18 Senate Appropriations Committee meeting, Beckwith asked for the additional $3 million, saying the faith-based initiatives programming he is seeking would address different issues, such as mental health, homelessness and crime. In the same breath, Beckwith requested more spending for the state agencies he oversees.
He suggested his office could be a better bridge connecting the government to nonprofits and faith-based organizations, but “if we’re going to do it, we should allocate the funds to it.”
“My background being in the pastoral ministry side, it makes perfect sense for me to be able to say, ‘Hey, I can bring pastors, rabbis, imams together, where we can then reach out. … We can bring that bridge to the mental health department and actually address the root issue, as opposed to just doing the surface issue stuff,’” Beckwith told the Appropriations Committee.
During that committee’s hearing, Beckwith told committee members that official plans for implementing these initiatives were “up in the air,” because his office needed to see what happens with the budget. However, Beckwith said he had already hired Tyson Priest, who, according to his LinkedIn profile, started in January, as Beckwith’s initiatives director. Priest, of Lapel, is a real estate agent and chaplain at Lapel Stony Creek Fire Territory with a doctorate in Christian ministries, according to his LinkedIn profile.
Beckwith also said that the money he requested would go toward hosting roundtables in all 92 counties to connect people to their local government officials as well as for paying Priest’s annual salary. According to the state’s transparency portal, Priest is making $65,000 a year.
Earlier this month, The Citizen asked Beckwith about the possibility his utilization of a form of conversion therapy in his faith-based programming, to which Beckwith said, “I kind of look at all therapy as conversion therapy.” He pointed to Alcoholics Anonymous programs as an example and described them as “converting alcoholics into being sober.”
However, to most people, conversion therapy refers to the controversial and now-debunked practice of using therapy and other means to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity.
After the Senate Appropriations Committee meeting, Beckwith’s office raised eyebrows once more as it shared its “mass spending cuts” in an April 2 news release shortly after the Indianapolis Star reported on his office’s purchase of a luxury SUV using taxpayer dollars.
The 2025 Chevy Tahoe High Country SUV, the brand’s most-expensive SUV model, cost taxpayers approximately $88,000 back in February. Beckwith and Secretary of State Diego Morales both received criticism from lawmakers and others earlier in the session for purchasing brand-new luxury vehicles at taxpayers’ expense.
The spending cuts news release from the lieutenant governor’s office shared that it had canceled a $195 subscription to The New York Times, renegotiated a contract to save $15,000 and decided not to renew nearly $150,000 in other contracts. The office noted the price tag of the new SUV is less than what it saved through contracts.
Beckwith said, “Overall, the lieutenant governor’s office has already saved the state money.”
Back when he made his request to the Senate Appropriations Committee, Beckwith said his office is “committed to being diligent stewards of taxpayer dollars, ensuring that every dollar spent is used effectively, efficiently and with fiscal responsibility. By doing so, we can create a lasting solution that empowers our rural communities and agricultural communities as well.”
Sydney Byerly is a political reporter who grew up in New Albany, Indiana. Before joining The Citizen, Sydney reported news for TheStatehouseFile.com and most recently managed and edited The Corydon Democrat & Clarion News in southern Indiana. She earned her bachelor’s in journalism at Franklin College’s Pulliam School of Journalism (‘Sco Griz!).
Dwight Adams, an editor and writer based in Indianapolis, edited this article. He is a former content editor, copy editor and digital producer at The Indianapolis Star and IndyStar.com, and worked as a planner for other newspapers, including the Louisville Courier Journal.
The Indiana Citizen is a nonpartisan, nonprofit platform dedicated to increasing the number of informed and engaged Hoosier citizens. We are operated by the Indiana Citizen Education Foundation, Inc., a 501(c)(3) public charity. For questions about the story, contact Marilyn Odendahl at marilyn.odendahl@indianacitizen.org.
