The Secretary of State Loves Seeing the World on Your Dime

Kendall: “They don’t care about your money. They don’t care about you being able to make ends meet..”

Indiana state officials reported about $97,000 in travel expenses during the 2025 fiscal year, according to new disclosures filed Wednesday. The reports cover Gov. Mike Braun, his cabinet members, and other statewide officeholders from July 1, 2024, through June 30, 2025. Many of those officials were in office for only part of that period.

The filings are required under a new state law mandating that officials report travel taken “in an official capacity” by Oct. 1 each year, including whether taxpayer dollars funded the trips. Lawmakers adopted the measure after Secretary of State Diego Morales drew criticism for an overseas trip he initially failed to disclose.

Morales had attended a technology conference in India but later said he repaid the expenses with personal funds. His report also listed a September visit to Vancouver for a securities event, noting no state money was used. A May trip to Hungary was left out, which Morales has repeatedly described as personal and funded by a conservative group.

Altogether, Morales reported 19 out-of-state trips, including nine to Chicago and one to Puerto Rico for a secretaries of state conference—the most expensive trip at $4,241. Of the nearly $33,000 his office logged, about one-third went toward fuel costs. Morales has previously highlighted his extensive in-state travel.

Other officials varied in how much detail they provided. Attorney General Todd Rokita recorded 100 appearances but listed them simply as “official business.” Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith generally used labels like “attend event” or “meeting.” Cabinet secretaries were inconsistent, with some reporting retreats and total costs while others did not.

Kendall and Casey share their thoughts: