BEDFORD – Todd Young discussed federal policy priorities and their local impact during a one-on-one conversation on Thursday with Dan Bortner, CEO of the Lawrence County Economic Growth Council and the Bedford Area Chamber of Commerce.
The event, hosted by the two organizations, featured Young seated with Bortner for a moderated discussion focused on developments in Washington, D.C., and how they affect Lawrence County and south central Indiana.
Young, who serves on the Senate Small Business Committee, said one of his top priorities is ensuring small businesses can compete as artificial intelligence becomes increasingly integrated into the workplace.
“More than anything else, we try to do that on the Small Business Committee through our oversight efforts, which means bringing all kinds of small business people and other stakeholders and asking, in some cases, hard questions at times and eliciting information that is valuable to inform public policy,” Young said. “There are some specific deliverables that we have had in recent years that are important to our small businesses. Among them is trying to make sure they have access to the AI technology that is going to be needed for almost every business in the pretty near future.”
Young stressed that smaller companies should have access to the same AI tools and resources as large corporations that can dedicate entire teams to developing and implementing the technology.
When Bortner highlighted retail, manufacturing, and healthcare as key economic drivers in south central Indiana, he asked how federal policy is being used to strengthen those industries.
“Pruning things that are holding people back, which is really just a hidden tax, is really number one,” Young said. “Taxes is another area where I have really focused that transcends all these different areas, and through the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, we were able to hold the line on your tax rates. Lastly, I look for Indiana-specific plays, so to speak.”
Young described the region as home to one of the state’s most robust manufacturing economies and emphasized the importance of leveraging nearby Naval Support Activity Crane to grow the local defense economy.
Bortner also raised recent federal legislation promoting shipbuilding and asked about Crane’s potential role.
“There is a massive opportunity in Indiana, believe it or not,” Young said. The aim to build 250 merchant vessels over the next 10 years, in addition to the U.S. Navy rebuild the president is focused on. Labor supply is tight in existing shipyards, so the industrial Midwest is where you go to find skilled trade people or existing skilled trade training programs that are high quality, so they can be dedicated towards building ships.”
He noted that Indiana’s strong base in component manufacturing — particularly in the auto industry — could pivot toward marine production. Young cited Cummins Inc. as an example, noting that its largest and most powerful engines can power container ships.
“Suffice it to say, there would be a lot of opportunity here,” he said.
Following the event, Young sat down with WBIW News for a separate question-and-answer session. Asked what policies most directly benefit Lawrence County residents, he pointed again to the community’s close ties with Crane.
“It’s important to remember how integrated this community is with Crane Naval Base, so I see a lot of opportunity for investment in that ecosystem here,” Young said. “I spoke today about a drone testing designation I helped secure through the Federal Aviation Administration that will be helpful to communities like Bedford and Mitchell on account of their proximity to the base.”
Young said the contours of the drone test bed, designated through the Federal Aviation Administration, are still being finalized and could include Bedford, Mitchell, and other nearby communities.
He added that Crane’s focus on industrial biotechnology and other emerging technologies, including energetics and explosives, could position communities surrounding the base to play an outsized role in future defense and advanced manufacturing growth.
