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Governor Braun, HHS Secretary Kennedy, and Dr. Oz Unveils 9 Executive Orders
To Help ‘Make Indiana Healthy Again’





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Fox 59
David Gay
April 14, 2025


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With a backdrop featuring the motto “Make Indiana Healthy Again,” Indiana Gov.
Mike Braun stood side by side with Robert F. Kennedy and Mehmet Oz, emphasizing
their collective intention to make Indiana a healthier state while further
promoting health and wellness at the federal level.



Braun signed a series of nine executive orders on Tuesday, promoting Hoosier
health and the state’s well-being. During his remarks, Oz said that this
“breaks the record by far” surrounding the “Make America Healthy Again” effort.



These orders included ones surrounding the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance
Program, or SNAP, assessing the health impacts of artificial dyes and
increasing Hoosier access to local foods. Braun said on Tuesday that these
orders will help Indiana best align Indiana with federal health efforts.



Kennedy is the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services under President
Donald Trump. He has publicly criticized vaccines, as well as the overall
healthcare system. Kennedy is also a previous independent presidential
candidate. Earlier this month, Oz, a former TV host and heart surgeon, was
confirmed as head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid.



During his campaign, and during his first few months in office, Braun has made
healthcare a priority. According to previous reports, Braun has signed multiple
executive orders surrounding healthcare costs, Medicaid and increasing access
and transparency for healthcare providers.



Braun said each one of these executive orders help change the underlying
issues that Indiana residents can control.



“This isn’t the usual top-down, one-size-fits-all public health agenda,” Braun
said in the release surrounding the orders. “We’re focused on root causes,
giving Hoosiers the transparent information to make decisions affecting their
health, making it easier to access to fresh local food from Indiana’s
incredible farms, and taking on the problems in government programs that are
contributing to making our communities less healthy.”



What are the nine executive orders?



SNAP



The first four orders signed by Braun on Tuesday surrounded the SNAP program,
including encouraging the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration to
exclude candy and soft drinks from the program.



This particular order states that the FSSA will apply for a waiver to exclude
candy and soft drinks from the list of SNAP-eligible products. If the waiver is
approved at the federal level, the release said that those products will be
eliminated from the list.



The state’s secretary of Health and Family Services will also recommend
additional items to be removed from the SNAP-eligible list “understood to have
low nutritional value and a positive correlation with weight gain and obesity…”



The other orders related to SNAP include:



The FSSA will overhaul its employment and training program to assign all
non-exempt SNAP recipients to work requirements.



The reinstatement of asset testing for SNAP eligibility and limits eligibility
to households receiving Temporary Assistance for Needy Family-funded cash
assistance, work supports, childcare assistance or households participating in
TANF-funded work, education or training programs.



The FSSA and the State Budget Agency will review federal SNAP statutes and
report findings to federal officials by Dec. 31, 2025, advocating for more
state flexibility.



Other orders



The other orders that Braun signed on Tuesday included ones surrounding
increasing transparency surrounding food dyes, the development of a
diet-related chronic disease plan and increasing access to local foods.



Executive Order 25-66: Making Indiana Healthy Again by Increasing Consumer
Transparency Related to Food Dyes and Additives



This order tasks the Indiana Department of Health with conducting a
comprehensive assessment on the health impacts of artificial food dyes and
additives. Officials said that they will prioritize those that have been
identified as harmful by the federal government or other states.



The release said the assessment will look at scientific research, health risks
as well as advice from food safety specialists and consumer advocates.
Recommendations for state actions are then expected to be made to the
governor’s office.



In the release, and during Tuesday’s conference, Braun said he had concerns
surrounding food transparency regarding artificial food dyes, stating that this
order helps assess and address these concerns.



Executive Order 25-57: Making Indiana Healthy Again by Developing a
Comprehensive Diet-Related Chronic Disease Plan



Through this order, the state’s secretary of Health and Family Services will
“conduct a comprehensive study on diet-related chronic disease in Indiana”
specifically surrounding kids.



This study will also help the state improve how diet-related chronic disease
programs can be improved, including programs surrounding:

Physical activity

Nutrition

Chronic disease management



The aim of this order is to improve these kinds of state programs, and gather
data surrounding how effective they are at reducing the chronic disease in the
state of Indiana, ultimately improving them to “get better
return-on-investment, fill gaps in services and reduce regulatory barriers.”



Executive Order 25-58: Making Indiana Healthy Again by Increasing Hoosier
Access to Local Foods



This order directs the Indiana State Department of Agriculture to conduct a
comprehensive study related to the access of local foods in the state of
Indiana, as well as direct-to-consumer food sales from Hoosier farmers.



Officials said that the order’s purpose is to identify opportunities to
increase those direct-to-consumer sales and help identify ways that Indiana is
“getting in the way” of that.



Executive Order 25-59: Making Indiana Healthy Again by Promoting the Health
and Wellness of Hoosier Students



This order stablishes the Governor’s Fitness Test, as well as School Fitness
Month, which will include recommended activities and lessons to increase
physical activity and health awareness for students.



The release said these programs will also encourage healthier and local food
options through increasing farm-to-school programs. It is also expected to
provide parents with transparent nutritional data for school meals.



Executive Order 25-60: Assuring Prudent Use of Taxpayer Funds by Ensuring
Integrity in the Indiana Medicaid Program



This order requires the FSSA to stop accepting self-attested eligibility for
the state’s Medicaid program and enforce hospital performance standards for
presumptive eligibility. The FSSA will also use interagency data to identify
ineligible recipients and initiate redeterminations.



This comes after the state experienced a $1 billion budget shortfall in 2024
and a 28.8% improper payment rate in the most recent federal audit.



During his remarks on Tuesday, Kennedy said the orders are designed to improve
farms, fitness, food, education and health. With these orders, Kennedy said
that he has nothing but optimism for the state of Indiana and encouraged
governors across the country to follow Indiana’s lead with these initiatives.



Oz said Tuesday was “a monumental day” for the state of Indiana, stating that
the federal health effort is a “generational opportunity to make this country
as healthy as it should be.”



Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita, who was also on hand for Tuesday’s
announcement, said that Indiana is going to lead the “Make America Healthy
Again” movement.



“Hoosiers in large numbers support the MAHA movement, and the promises that
were made are now being kept thanks to the Trump and Braun administration,”
Rokita said in a news release.


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