In response to Republicans on the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee voting down a proposal to restore tuition benefits for Idaho Army National Guard members after cutting them earlier this year, Assistant Senate Democratic Leader James Ruchti and District 19 Representative Chris Mathias released the following statement:

“This should have been the moment to make things right for the men and women who serve our state and nation. Republicans had that chance, and they refused. Guard members step up for Idaho without hesitation. Their families plan their lives around the promises this state makes. Tuition assistance is part of that promise, it helps soldiers and airmen earn a degree, build a career, and stay rooted here at home. As veterans, we’re not going to let this slide. You don’t get to praise service on one day and walk away from our commitments the next. We’ll keep fighting to restore these benefits and keep faith with the people who wear the uniform.”

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In response to today’s vote by Republicans on the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee to advance maintenance budgets that gut life-saving services and public safety while shifting more costs onto families and local taxpayers, Senate Democratic Leader Melissa Wintrow released the following statement:

“When you cut life-saving services and public safety, people get hurt. These cuts mean less treatment and recovery, fewer protections for kids in juvenile custody, and fewer tools to keep communities safe. Families and local taxpayers are left holding the bag. Then Republican leaders have the nerve to say there’s no other choice. That’s not true. Idaho doesn’t have to cut everything to the bone, not while expensive tax giveaways stay protected. Democrats laid out responsible budget solutions that protect essential services, keep our communities safe, and strengthen family budgets. These budgets still have to be voted on by the full Legislature, and every lawmaker who supports them will own the consequences. Idahoans should light up their phones and inboxes and demand a no vote on these harmful cuts.”

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Today, as the 2026 legislative session nears its halfway point and ahead of critical Joint Finance-Appropriation Committee votes, Idaho House and Senate Democrats outlined budget solutions that protect life-saving services and public safety while delivering for working families.

To view video from the press conference, click here.

As Republican leaders move ahead with cuts that shift more costs onto communities and households while keeping costly tax giveaways in place, Democrats underscored that Idaho has a better way. They pointed to budget fixes like using rainy day funds as intended, reexamining expensive giveaways, and pursuing targeted tax conformity reforms. They also highlighted proposals to strengthen family budgets, including reinstating a child tax credit, boosting support through the Idaho Child Care Program, and reindexing the homeowner’s exemption so property tax relief keeps pace with rising home values.

“The last time we faced empty coffers like this was in 2009 during the Great Recession. But that was a national crisis. We did this one to ourselves. So why is the majority party saying it’s not that big of a deal? Because if they acknowledge it is a big deal, they have to acknowledge something bad is about to happen. If they acknowledge something bad is about to happen, they have to admit their role in it. And if they admit their role in it, they have to admit they screwed up. They have to admit $4 billion in income tax cuts over the last five years was a mistake. That a $450 million tax cut last year was a bad idea. And the $50 million into the voucher program? That was just bad policy. And they don’t want to do that. Well, we believe you deserve better. And Idaho can do better. The solution is not that complicated. Democrats have a plan that will get us through this budget crisis and save Idaho families from the pain,” said Assistant Senate Democratic Leader James Ruchti. 

“The majority party will tell you that we have no choice at this point. We’re broke. We’re in a deficit. That the only choice we have is to make excruciatingly deep cuts to everything, to care for the disabled, to public schools, to universities, to road and water projects, but it is simply not true. There is a better way. In fact, there are a number of better ways. … We can address the loss of revenue. We can get rid of the voucher bill. … One of the things you don’t hear much about is that big ‘tax cut’ they gave last year actually raised taxes on most families earning below the median level of income because they paid for it by terminating the child tax credit. … There are simple and obvious solutions to this crisis that we are simply not being allowed to talk about and not being allowed to vote on. We are being presented only with the worst possible option, deep, deep cuts that the governor’s own staff acknowledges will cause long-term structural damage to this state. This is a terrible path for us to be going down. It is a completely unnecessary path to be going down. And I assure you that if we were controlling the policy in this building, it is not the path we would be going down,” said House Democratic Leader Ilana Rubel.

“One week ago, we hosted a forum for people to talk about how Medicaid is impacting their lives, and saving their lives. Because behind me in this room, when I asked the committee chairs to provide people an opportunity to give testimony before they made all these cuts, there was precedent to do it. In the Great Recession, this committee opened its doors to the public to hear from them personally about how these cuts would impact their lives. Unfortunately, we’re not doing it this time. … This legislature is failing, and it’s failing the people. And I hope you hear me today, everyone that is listening: You deserve better, and I want you to go to the polls and think about who you are electing because we don’t have to cut everything to the bone,” said Senate Democratic Leader Melissa Wintrow.

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*** ADVISORY: TODAY at 2:30 p.m. MST ***

Idaho House and Senate Democrats will hold a press conference today at the Statehouse to mark the halfway point of the 2026 legislative session and outline solutions to prevent harmful budget cuts that threaten prosperity across Idaho, protect life-saving services and public safety, and restore responsible budgeting.

With Republican leaders advancing cuts to public services while preserving costly tax giveaways, Democrats will emphasize that Idaho can balance the budget responsibly and still deliver on the priorities of working families.

Democrats will outline ways to dig Idaho out of the budget hole Republican policies helped create and continue to deepen, including using rainy day funds as intended, reexamining costly giveaways, and pursuing targeted tax conformity reforms. At the same time, they will highlight proposals that deliver real relief to working families and protect life-saving services and public safety, including reintroducing the child tax credit, increasing support through the Idaho Child Care Program, and reindexing the homeowner’s exemption.

WHAT: Press Conference marking midway point of legislative session and proposing fiscal solutions to prevent harmful budget cuts

WHO: Senate Democratic Leader Melissa Wintrow (District 19), House Democratic Leader Ilana Rubel (District 18), Assistant Senate Democratic Leader James Ruchti (District 29), Assistant House Democratic Leader Steve Berch (District 15), Sen. Ron Taylor (District 26), Rep. John Gannon (District 17), and members of the Idaho Joint Democratic Caucus

WHEN: TODAY, Thursday, February 12, 2:30 p.m. MST

 WHERE: Third Floor, outside the Joint Finance-Appropriation Committee Room, Idaho State Capitol, 700 W. Jefferson St., Boise

WATCH: Livestream available here.

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In response to today’s vote by Republicans on the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee to impose permanent 5% base budget reductions, Senate Democratic Leader Melissa Wintrow released the following statement: 

“This is a devastating day for Idahoans. Republicans are using the budget to serve the few, and sticking everyone else with the consequences.

“They created this crisis. They blew apart the structural balance of the budget with tax giveaways for the richest Idahoans and profitable corporations, then turned around and demanded working families, our public schools, and people with disabilities cover the tab. They won’t restore revenue. They won’t ask the top to pay their fair share. They cut, and regular Idahoans suffer.

“Republicans are pretending this is about balancing the budget. It’s not. These permanent cuts are the playbook for future rollbacks of services Idahoans value, including our schools, public safety, and health care. They know they can’t openly repeal Medicaid expansion because Idahoans already decided that question. So the plan becomes death by a thousand cuts, starving it through the budget until services fail by design and families pay the price.

“Even worse, they won’t even face the people they’re hurting. This week, hundreds of Idahoans packed the Lincoln Auditorium and overflow rooms, including caregivers and parents of children with disabilities, asking to be heard about what cuts are already doing and what deeper cuts will mean. Too many Republican lawmakers didn’t show up. Days later, they voted to make these cuts permanent anyway.

“Meanwhile, the giveaways stay protected. Tax breaks for the wealthy and the $50 million private-school voucher law remain untouched, while everything else takes permanent cuts. This is not responsible budgeting. It’s a betrayal of working families, and Idahoans should demand better.”

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*** ADVISORY: TODAY at 4 p.m. MST ***

Idaho House and Senate Democrats are hosting a public forum and town halls statewide to hear directly from Idahoans impacted by Medicaid cuts, as Gov. Brad Little and Republican lawmakers move forward with reductions and propose even deeper ones without holding public hearings.

The effort begins today, Wednesday, Feb. 4, from 4–7 p.m. MST, with a public forum at the Idaho State Capitol, where parents, seniors, people with disabilities, caregivers, and providers will share how current and proposed Medicaid cuts are affecting their lives and put those impacts on the public record, while Democrats make clear Idaho has better solutions to protect coverage and care.

Republican leaders have enacted costly tax giveaways and advanced a budget that triggered Medicaid provider rate cuts and new service limits. The governor’s budget proposal calls for even deeper Medicaid reductions, even as providers and law enforcement warn these cuts are driving more people into crisis response, emergency rooms, and county jails, increasing pressure on behavioral health and public safety.

The forum will include Democratic legislative leaders and Idahoans impacted by current and proposed Medicaid cuts. The full Republican caucus and Gov. Little have been invited.

WHAT: Public Forum on Budget Cuts Threatening Medicaid and Mental Health Programs

WHO: Senate Democratic Leader Melissa Wintrow, House Democratic Leader Ilana Rubel, members of the Idaho Joint Democratic Caucus, the full Republican caucus (invited), Gov. Brad Little (invited), and community members affected by current and proposed Medicaid cuts

WHEN: TODAY, Wednesday, Feb. 4, 4–7 p.m. MST

WHERE: Lincoln Auditorium at the Idaho State Capitol, 700 W. Jefferson St., Boise, ID

WATCH: Livestream available here.

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In response to House Republicans passing an untargeted federal tax conformity bill, Idaho House Democratic Leader Ilana Rubel released the following statement:

 “Republicans just voted to deepen Idaho’s budget crisis by passing another large, untargeted revenue cut driven by Washington, D.C. tax changes. Idahoans packed the hearing and overwhelmingly opposed the bill, but Republicans forced it through on a party-line vote, even as state agencies are already being told to plan for painful cuts to cover the cost. That decision puts hundreds of millions of dollars at risk when the budget is already under strain. Dollar for dollar, paying for this tax conformity bill means less funding for special education, fewer public safety resources, delayed road and bridge repairs, cuts to Medicaid services, reduced nursing care for people with disabilities, cuts to water and sewer projects, and other essential services. Idaho Democrats support a responsible path that targets tax relief to working people and protects funding for schools, public safety, transportation, and health care, not more giveaways that force painful cuts here at home.”

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Idaho House and Senate Democratic leaders released the following statements after the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee discussed and received rescission packages tied to an additional 1–2% in mid-year cuts for state agencies, on top of existing holdbacks. Agency plans warn the cuts could trigger furloughs for commissioned Idaho State Police troopers, disrupt staffing for more than 1,200 corrections employees, and could eliminate the Idaho State Police SWAT team.

Statement from Senate Democratic Leader Melissa Wintrow:

“Republicans created this crisis with reckless tax choices, and now they’re telling Idahoans these cuts are ‘necessary.’ They aren’t. The numbers don’t justify a new round of rescissions, and even their own tax conformity proposal isn’t settled, yet they’re already pushing agencies toward cuts that would take Idaho backwards. Idaho’s budget hasn’t kept up with population growth or inflation, and the answer cannot be dismantling the services that keep communities safe and help families get ahead. The Legislature lit this fire, keeps making it worse, and then asks working families to pay the price. Democrats have responsible, targeted options that protect public safety and the essential services Idahoans count on.”

Statement from House Democratic Leader Ilana Rubel:

“The across-the-board rescissions are simply unconscionable given that our budget crisis can so easily be solved by simply revisiting irresponsible revenue reductions. It is unfathomable that our Republican colleagues would rather cut care for the disabled, cut special education, cut road and bridge repair, cut law enforcement, cut prison staff, cut Meals on Wheels and cut teacher pay rather than admit it was a mistake to subsidize private school tuition for wealthy families. This is the polar opposite of responsible budgeting. Idaho can close gaps with targeted fixes that protect core services, instead of gambling with public safety and asking working families to absorb the fallout.”

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