Today’s walkout follows media coverage about JFAC’s open feuding among the supermajority Republican members.
Speaking on behalf of Senator Ward-Engelking, Sen. Wintrow said, “We left the floor because we felt the most prudent thing for Idaho voters would be to deny a quorum. JFAC is operating outside of all precedent and common sense voting rules, counting the hypothetical votes of absent members as ‘no’ votes. Rules provide predictability, transparency and fairness. To echo the words of Sen. Cook: the body owns the rules, and we have not voted on a set of rules as a body. Instead, a few people ‘in leadership’ are making up rules as we go at the expense of Idaho voters.”

Sen. Wintrow is available for interviews. Schedule directly with her at 208-949-0279.

Pregnant women in Idaho facing medical emergencies are being placed at serious risk. The Trump administration plans to drop the federal lawsuit that has been the only legal safeguard ensuring pregnant women can receive necessary abortion care in health emergencies.

House Minority Leader Ilana Rubel says, “The safety of women in Idaho just took a dark turn. The only lifeline we have had to protect us from a total abortion ban that lacks any health exception is a court injunction secured through the Biden Administration’s lawsuit against Idaho. But the Trump Administration is cutting that lifeline, dropping the lawsuit and seeking to end all the protections for women that came with it.”

In the absence of moral leadership from GOP politicians to protect pregnant patients in Idaho facing dire health emergencies, St. Luke’s Health System brought a lawsuit of its own in January 2025 to mirror the DOJ lawsuit that the Trump administration is abandoning this week. We are hopeful this will succeed in protecting essential emergency abortion care.

Senate Minority Leader Melissa Wintrow says, “It is unconscionable that GOP politicians at both the state and federal level have made this necessary. It remains to be seen if St. Luke’s lawsuit will succeed in sustaining the injunction that has provided at least a modicum of safety for pregnant women in our state, but we should not have to rely on a private entity to defend our safety from reckless Republican elected officials.”

In the brief period of time when Idaho did not have an injunction in place, we had a window into the dystopian future that awaits us should the injunction be permanently lost. Pregnant women suffering health emergencies had to be regularly airlifted out of Idaho in order to receive the full spectrum of medically necessary care that is readily available in neighboring states.

The U.S. District Court for Idaho granted a temporary restraining order today in favor of St. Luke’s and its patients, to ensure access to emergency rooms under EMTALA. This is not an assurance of long-term safety, but it is at least a brief reprieve from some of the most dangerous repercussions of Idaho’s total abortion ban.

“Today, Gov. Brad Little betrayed his promise to Idahoans that he would stand up for public education and would veto any voucher bill that does not meet standards of fairness, accountability, responsibility, and transparency. HB93 meets none of these criteria, but, like so many Republicans, he bowed to out-of-state billionaires instead of prioritizing the needs of real Idahoans.

“The governor has sacrificed his legacy as a pro-public schools governor and a fiscal conservative by signing a bill that siphons public dollars to subsidize private school tuition for the wealthy. The people of Idaho can now expect what has happened in other voucher states: starved public schools, higher property taxes as local districts will be forced to run bonds and levies, and exploding state budgets that threaten infrastructure and public safety.”

“We remain firmly in support of the WWAMI program, which has been training Idaho’s doctors for more than 50 years in partnership with the University of Washington School of Medicine—the #1 ranked primary care medical school in the country. At a time when Idaho ranks last in the nation’s doctor shortage, severing ties with WWAMI through House Bill 176 would be a disaster for our healthcare system and would certainly discourage more physicians from practicing medicine here.

“WWAMI is more than just a public medical school—it’s a fiscally conservative way to create a pipeline to keep doctors in Idaho. More than half of WWAMI graduates stay to practice in our state, compared to a national average of just 39%. Students get top-tier training through a curriculum co-developed by U of I and UW, hands-on experience in Idaho communities from St. Maries to Rexburg to Montpelier, and unique opportunities like wilderness medicine electives.

“If we want to fix Idaho’s doctor shortage, we should be strengthening what works, not tearing it down. We urge our colleagues to support WWAMI and stand with the healthcare professionals who care for our communities.”

More than 250 people registered testimony in opposition to HB176 in committee, with only four in support of the bill.

“This bill would allow anyone to accuse your son of not being a boy or your daughter of not being a girl, and subject to having their genitals examined. It creates problems where none exist.

“The words of Franklin Delano Roosevelt were never more true: ‘We have nothing to fear but fear itself.’ This bill is rooted, raised and nurtured on pure fear. It is one of a dozen bills aimed at the LGBT community and aims to replace the values of faith, family and freedom with fear, hate and anger.

“Idahoans value the personal liberty of being who they are and do not want the legislature criminalizing and harassing people whose lives may be different than their own.

“If you stand next to the statue of Gov. Frank Stunenberg and look up at the Capitol Dome, you won’t see a cross, the angel Moroni, Star of David, or a crescent moon, you will see an eagle, the symbol of our nation. Under that eagle’s wings are the protections of life, liberty and pursuit of happiness for everyone, all Idahoans, not just those of a particular religious belief or who belong to one political party. This includes you, your children, your friends, family, and loved ones. The last thing we need in Idaho are self-appointed genital inspectors standing outside public bathrooms looking for someone to harass and persecute.

“What happened to community, the value of treating others with the same respect you want others to give to you? If we write laws based on what makes us uncomfortable, none of us will be able to be comfortable, let alone free. We don’t need more laws telling people what they can’t do, think, read, see or be. Idahoans do not want fanatical Christian Nationalists telling them how to live their lives.

“Today marks a new low for Idaho’s GOP supermajority. Two of the most dangerous and damaging bills of the past decade were passed by Idaho’s Republican legislators in the House and Senate. H138 would effectively repeal Medicaid Expansion, and H93 would create a voucher program to subsidize private and religious school tuition for wealthy families.

“Every Democrat voted no on H138 because we recall the dark days before Idahoans voted overwhelmingly to establish Medicaid Expansion in 2018. If the GOP has its way, we’ll soon return to tens of thousands of working families being one accident away from medical bankruptcy, rural hospitals shuttering, and too many Idahoans routinely dying of preventable deaths because they could not afford basic care.

“Almost simultaneously, across the rotunda, Republican senators passed H93 on a 20-15 vote. This is a voucher bill without any meaningful sideboards that will siphon badly needed funds away from our public schools and instead subsidize wealthy families’ private and religious school tuition. It will bust Idaho’s future state budget, just like similar bills have in other states.”

“Ninety-four percent of public comments on H93 were opposed – with a stunning tally of 960 against and only 62 in favor of this dangerous bill. This is consistent with polling, which shows that Idahoans want their tax dollars to stay in accountable public schools.

“It’s no coincidence that another out-of-state billionaire, President Trump, announced he favors siphoning public dollars to subsidize private school tuition for the wealthy. Ultimately, it is the people of Idaho who will have to live with the fallout of H93: starved public schools, higher property taxes as local districts will be forced to run bonds and levies, and exploding state budgets that threaten infrastructure and public safety. It is the will of Idahoans that should be heeded, not out-of-state special interests.

“Taxpayers need to take a hard look at the data in Arizona, Indiana, Florida, Texas, Georgia. In Arizona, vouchers were expected to cost $65 million, but have exploded past $800 million per year, forcing deep cuts to vital state programs and projects. There’s no reason to believe Idaho’s future will be any different should we go down this road. We urge our colleagues across the aisle to listen to actual Idahoans and prioritize students over special interests.”

“Don’t be fooled, H138 gambles with the health and lives of nearly 100,000 Idahoans. This bill would enact a full repeal of Medicaid expansion because its requirements for retention could never be met.

“This bill, like the other Republican-sponsored Medicaid repeal bill, H58, illustrates the total disconnect between the GOP supermajority politicians’ agenda and the actual wishes and needs of Idahoans. H138 may be in service to extremist ideology, but it does not benefit the people of Idaho, whose support for Medicaid Expansion has only grown since 2018. Polls show it is supported by 73% of voters, including 61% of registered Republicans. Medicaid has saved countless lives and has protected thousands of Idaho families from financial ruin and health disaster.

“Under the guise of ‘reform,’ H138 would end Medicaid coverage for those who desperately need it. It would cause thousands of jobs and over $1 billion of economic benefit to leave the state, shifting enormous costs to Idaho taxpayers, and forcing the closure of rural hospitals. Two-hundred sixty-five people signed up to oppose this bill with only eight supporting it, yet a majority of GOP committee members chose to squarely ignore the clear will of the people.

“This bill is another example of the hazards of one-party rule that prioritizes out-of-state interests over what’s working well for everyday Idahoans.”

H138 now goes to the House floor, and Democratic lawmakers encourage Idahoans to contact House leadership and their legislators to oppose the bill.

House Minority Leader Rep. Ilana Rubel is available for interviews on this matter. Text her directly to set it up at (208) 866.4776.

“Idahoans have been very clear that they are not interested in subsidizing their neighbors’ private or religious school choice, particularly when we’re not fully funding our public schools as our Constitution requires.

“If you don’t choose to drive on public roads, you don’t get a tax credit. If you choose to hire private security instead of calling the police or fire department, you don’t get a tax credit. We pool our resources to fund public education, just like we do to ensure we have safe roads and communities.

“Idaho already leads the way in school choice, and so-called ‘refundable tax credits’ are just another budget-busting voucher scheme being pushed on us by out-of-state special interests.

“ Data show that the vast majority of students using vouchers in other states – 80% in one study – were already attending these expensive schools. This bill amounts to a government handout for wealthy families, and the money will inevitably come at the expense of public education funding. HB93 also fails to include any of the core principles of fairness, responsibility, accountability and transparency that Gov. Little has said he wants to see in any voucher bill.

“This bill puts Idaho on a reckless fiscal track without any meaningful standards or accountability. There’s not a single state that has managed to stay anywhere near the promised budget outlook – just look at the data in Arizona, Indiana, Florida, Texas, Georgia. In Arizona, vouchers were expected to cost $65 million, but have exploded past $800 million, forcing deep cuts to vital state programs and projects.

“We should learn from our fellow states that opening this door to vouchers will unleash a cascade of terrible consequences: blown budgets, increased inequality, defunded public schools, higher property taxes and weakened educational outcomes.

According to the 2024 Boise State University Public Policy Survey, only 14.9% of Idahoans said that the Legislature should prioritize sending tax dollars to private and religious schools.

“House Bill 98 is another example of an out-of-state organization funded by billionaires, in this case, the Washington-based Freedom Foundation and the Heritage Foundation, coming in with an idea that is wildly out of step with Idaho’s needs. Only two people testified in support of it, and thousands were opposed, including our public school teachers. This bill unfairly targets the Idaho Education Association and its members in an attempt to silence their voices and make it difficult for members to meet and do their good work to advocate for Idaho’s public education system.”