In a now-deleted post, Indiana Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith said Thursday that the Trump administration very explicitly threatened to withhold federal funds from the state if it didn’t bow to pressure and help him rig the House by drawing a new congressional map.

“The Trump administration was VERY clear about this,” Beckwith, a MAGA Republican who supported the unprecedented redistricting plan, said on social media.

“They told many legislators, cabinet members, the governor and me that this would happen. The Indiana Senate made it clear to the Trump administrator today that they do not want to be partners with the WH. The WH made it clear to them that they would do it.”

Before deleting the post, Beckwith confirmed the threat in separate comments to Politico, but disconcertingly stated that it wasn’t actually a threat while describing the nature of the threat itself.

“Yes, these conversations happened,” he told Politico reporter Adam Wren. “But it’s not a threat. It’s an honest conversation about who the WH wants to partner with. There are 49 other states competing for all kinds of projects. Indiana told the WH today that it doesn’t want to be a good partner for the Trump administration, and I suspect the WH will look to partner with other states before we do.”

Beckwith’s comments confirm the veracity of a broad threat made earlier that day by Heritage Action, the political advocacy arm of the Heritage Foundation, the far-right think tank behind Project 2025.

“President Trump has made it clear to Indiana leaders: if the Indiana Senate fails to pass the map, all federal funds will be stripped from the state,” Heritage Action threatened.

“Roads will not be paved. Guard bases will be closed. Major projects will be stopped. That is what is at stake and every NO vote will be to blame.”

The threats failed.

The Indiana state Senate rejected the unprecedented effort 19 to 31, with a majority of Republicans approving it.

The Indiana House of Representatives is seen in Indianapolis, Indiana, on Thursday, December 11, 2025.
The Indiana House of Representatives is seen in Indianapolis, Indiana, on Thursday, December 11, 2025.

Cahitis Sullivan/Bloomberg via Getty Images

“It’s time to say no to pressure from Washington, DC,” Indiana state Sen. Spencer Deery, a Republican, told NOTUS after the vote. “It’s time to say no to removing accountability from elected officials. It’s time to say no to outsiders trying to govern our state.”

Indiana Democratic Party Chairwoman Karen Tallian applauded the state’s decision to uphold the basic rule of law.

“The Indiana General Assembly has rules. Redistricting happens every ten years. These rules are not roadblocks. They are safety nets,” he said.

“Defending the rules is not an act of weakness, it is an act of responsibility: maintaining the integrity of the process and preserving the legitimacy and credibility of the institution. Today, that is what my former colleagues did by rejecting this partisan spectacle.”

In characteristic Trump style, the president later claimed that he didn’t really care much. “I wasn’t working very hard at it,” he said. “I wasn’t very involved.”