Hoosier businesses need a stable world order, group says

August 26, 2026 - 01:21

Indiana companies ship out over 68 billion dollars in goods every year, and that trade activity keeps roughly 750,000 jobs alive across the state. Those numbers come from the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition, a group that tracks the link between international engagement and local employment. The message is clear: Hoosier businesses cannot plan for growth if the world order keeps shifting under their feet.

The coalition argues that steady diplomatic and economic policies matter as much as any factory floor or logistics hub. When tariffs change without warning, or when trade agreements get renegotiated in fits and starts, supply chains stall. Small manufacturers in places like Fort Wayne or Evansville feel that uncertainty just as sharply as the big logistics firms in Indianapolis. They need consistent access to foreign markets, predictable customs rules, and reliable partnerships with allied nations.

Beyond exports, the group points out that international investment also feeds Indiana's economy. Foreign-owned companies employ tens of thousands of workers in the state, often in advanced manufacturing and life sciences. Those jobs do not just appear; they depend on a stable geopolitical climate that encourages cross-border capital. The coalition wants lawmakers in Washington to remember that foreign policy is not an abstract exercise. It lands on Main Street in the form of orders, paychecks, and expansion plans.

The call is not for isolation or for open borders without limits. It is for a clear-eyed approach that protects American interests while keeping trade lanes open. Indiana has built its modern economy on being a reliable node in the global network. Losing that position would cost more than a few contracts. It would erode the very foundation of the state's economic identity.