Indiana Selected as National Drone Test Site

This week, the Federal Aviation Administration selected Indiana as a recipient of a drone test site. In December, I led a letter in support of Indiana’s application and have been working on drone issues at the federal level.

Reestablishing American leadership in drones is critical to our national security and represents an opportunity to bring high tech jobs to Indiana. This announcement designating Indiana as a drone test site affirms what we’ve long known - our state is uniquely positioned to help lead the way in the development and deployment of this important technology. With our strong defense industry, advanced manufacturing capabilities, innovative colleges and universities, and skilled Hoosier workforce, Indiana is ready to help unleash American drone dominance.

Read more here and here.

My Top 10 Books of 2025

I try to use my time traveling between Indiana and Washington for reading. Here are ten books I greatly enjoyed in 2025: 

• Age of Revolutions: Progress and Backlash from 1600 to the Present by Fareed Zakaria — Zakaria, a respected journalist and thinker, examines why some societies have successfully adapted to dramatic technological and social change while others have faltered. Helpful for understanding today’s turbulence, and how progress might be sustained.
• Six Frigates: The Epic History of the Founding of the U.S. Navy by Ian W. Toll — A detailed account of the political resolve, strategic vision, and institutional pushback behind the creation of the U.S. Navy. Toll reminds us that maritime strength is hard-won but has been essential to American sovereignty from the very beginning.
• Undaunted Courage: Meriwether Lewis, Thomas Jefferson, and the Opening of the American West by Stephen Ambrose — Ambrose chronicles how President Jefferson’s vision and Lewis’s leadership translated ambition into action. From logistical planning to physical hardships to geopolitical consequences, this is an account of American initiative, exploration, and national purpose.
• The Neptune Factor: Alfred Thayer Mahan and the Concept of Sea Power by Nicholas Lambert — A timely reassessment of Alfred Thayer Mahan, the Navy’s first great strategist. Lambert underscores Mahan’s insight that maritime power rests not only on fleets, but on commerce, industry, and economic decision-making. Important lessons as we debate shipbuilding and industrial capacity today.
• King Leopold’s Ghost: A Story of Greed, Terror, and Heroism in Colonial Africa by Adam Hochschild — History can inspire, but it must also warn. Hochschild exposes the brutality and exploitation at the heart of King Leopold’s Congo, reminding readers how unchecked greed and power can corrode human dignity and why moral clarity matters in global affairs.
• A Fever in the Heartland: The Ku Klux Klan’s Plot to Take Over America, and the Woman Who Stopped Them by Timothy Egan — Set in 1920s Indiana, this gripping account traces the KKK’s alarming rise into mainstream political power, and its sudden collapse. It is a reminder that democratic institutions require vigilance, and that courage and integrity can prevail over entrenched hatred and corruption.
• Freedom’s Forge: How American Business Produced Victory in World War II by Arthur L. Herman — Herman tells the story of industrial leaders like William Knudsen and Henry Kaiser, who mobilized American manufacturing to defeat fascism. The book offers enduring lessons about public-private partnership, industrial readiness, and national unity.
• New Cold Wars: China's Rise, Russia's Invasion, and America's Struggle to Defend the West by David Sanger — A veteran New York Times reporter examines the false sense of finality that followed the Cold War and how a new era of great-power competition emerged.
• Nuclear War: A Scenario by Annie Jacobsen — Jacobsen offers a rigorously researched hypothetical to illustrate how quickly nuclear escalation could unfold under real-world constraints: limited time, imperfect information, and human fallibility. The book is a sobering reminder that deterrence is fragile and the stakes could not be higher.
• All The King’s Men by Robert Penn Warren — Often called the definitive American political novel, this classic traces the rise and fall of Willie Stark, a populist reformer undone by corruption and ambition. It is a cautionary tale about power, character, and the moral demands of public service.

Formally Ending Iraq Wars is a Victory for the American People

For years, outdated war authorizations related to the Iraq wars have remained on the books long after those conflicts ended, effectively serving as “zombie” declarations of war. I worked alongside Senator Tim Kaine (D-Va.) to change that, and I’m proud to report that Congress has now repealed the 1991 and 2002 Iraq Authorizations for Use of Military Force (AUMFs) in the Fiscal Year 2026 defense bill. These are the first war authorizations repealed by Congress in more than 50 years.

I joined Senator Kaine in penning an op-ed on the significance of repealing these outdated war authorizations and restoring Congress’ constitutional role in decisions of war and peace.

Read more here and here.

Indiana Receives Over $200 Million to Improve Rural Health Care

U.S. Attorneys for Indiana Confirmed

Congratulations to Hoosiers Adam Mildred and Tom Wheeler on being confirmed by the Senate last month.

I was proud to support both throughout the process and vote for their confirmation. Read more here.

Help for Hoosiers 

Navigating federal agencies can be difficult. My staff and I are here to assist Hoosiers who are having trouble receiving benefits, have questions regarding a program or procedure, or have not heard back from these agencies in a timely manner.

Learn more about how we can help here.

Local News

Indiana Capital Chronicle - Indiana wins national drone test site designation

The Ripon Advance - Young heads up bipartisan plan to designate new National Heritage Area in Illinois, Indiana

WSBT - Passage of defense bill formally ends Iraq war authorization from 1991, 2002

The Brazil Times - Op-Ed: Formally ending Iraq wars is a victory for the American people

The Madison Courier - So. Ind. leaders highlight regional industrial strength

Axios - Exclusive: Senators to unveil bipartisan quantum bill

TriStateHomepage.com - Senator Young explains vote on War Powers resolution

Thank you for the continued privilege to serve you in the U.S. Senate. My mission is to fight on behalf of Hoosiers and the interests that are unique to our state. I look forward to working with you, and sharing our progress, in the days ahead. 

In Service,