OPINION: Idaho’s budgeting process — throwing together feathers, hoping for a duck
As the 2026 legislative session comes to a close, we can only hope that there will be enough turnover so the ugly process is never repeated. One of the bills, which cut $131 million in necessary funding from a wide variety of programs, was aptly described by the House majority leader as a “crappy bill.” It passed, nevertheless, along with a number of other crappy appropriation bills.
There were several factors that contributed to the dysfunctional budget process — no real leadership from the governor, a budget committee (JFAC) led by two city slickers from Eagle, a failure to seek meaningful input from affected parties and too many culture war JFAC members who were just fine with cutting into the bone of state programs. Gov. Little initially called for a 3% across-the-board cut for all state budgets, except statewide elected officials, the courts and K-12 education, for this fiscal year. In its “crappy bill,”JFAC provided for 4% across-the-board cuts, including the state officials and courts. The attorney general sought to have his cuts restored, correctly pointing out that 89% of the AG’s budget goes to staff compensation. The cuts would require salary cuts or layoffs. While I often disagree with Mr. Labrador, he is correct about the adverse impact of the budget cuts on his office. Unfortunately, the Idaho House displayed no sympathy. A bill to restore funding for both 2026 and 2027 failed by a 33-37 vote. All nine Democrats and 28 Republicans, including the majority leader, rejected his funding request. It indicates broad unhappiness with his legal performance.
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