House begrudgingly but overwhelmingly passes spending cuts
Originally posted on IdahoEdNews.org on March 6, 2026
By Kevin Richert, IdahoEdNews:
BOISE, Idaho — After an hour of debate — a wide-ranging airing of fiscal issues — the House Friday easily passed an immediate spending cut.
The 2026 Idaho Rescissions Act, Senate Bill 1331, cuts this year’s general fund spending by $131.3 million. Most of the cuts were already in place; Gov. Brad Little cut 3% from most agency budgets last summer. But the bill also includes an additional $15.3 million in cuts, beyond Little’s recommendations.
The cuts would affect the current budget year, which ends June 30. Legislative supporters say the additional cuts provide more breathing room in a tight 2026 budget as lawmakers turn their attention to next year’s budgets.
“It’s a crappy bill that we have to vote on,” said House Majority Leader Jason Monks, R-Meridian, minutes before the House vote.
K-12 is exempt from all of this year’s cuts. The Legislature’s cuts also leave Medicaid, prisons and Idaho State Police untouched. Higher ed is subject to the cuts, however, and is bracing for a disproportionately large share of the hit.
Friday marked the House’s first vote on a spending bill — eight weeks into a 2026 session dominated by budget issues. Lawmakers used the noon-hour debate as a vehicle to discuss years of tax and spending decisions.
Opponents questioned the need for the additional cuts, especially when the state has $1.3 billion in various reserve accounts. Critics also said the Legislature has put itself in a budget box, after passing $450 million in tax cuts and credits a year ago. “That is extremely frustrating to me,” said Rep. Lori McCann, R-Lewiston.
House conservatives said the cuts were past due. Rep. Joe Alfieri, R-Coeur d’Alene, said the cuts didn’t go far enough. Rep. Clint Hostetler, R-Twin Falls, said the cuts reverse years of “irresponsible spending decisions.”
McCann rose to object, saying Hostletler was maligning other lawmakers. Hostletler walked his comment back, slightly. “We are moving back in the right direction.”
Another opponent, Rep. Ben Fuhriman, R-Shelley, said his trust in the complicated process used by legislative budget-writers has “eroded.”
The Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee is working on two sets of budget bills. First, 10 far-reaching “maintenance” budget bills would roll this year’s spending into next year — but the bills include Little’s 3% cuts and an additional 2% cut from the Legislature. Second, the committee will work on “enhancement” bills that could reverse some cuts.
Furhiman noted that JFAC has deadlocked on restoring $190,000 in scholarships for Idaho National Guard members, leaving him skeptical about the enhancement process. “I’m just supposed to vote for this and trust that this is what we’re going to do?”
JFAC’s House co-chair defended the process.
Rep. Josh Tanner noted that JFAC approved the National Guard scholarships Friday. And he said the committee is responding to concerns about cuts to community colleges and career-technical education, with plans to restore spending.
The 2026 cuts are a hedge, as state tax collections lag behind projections. “We’re really pretty thin on the bottom line right now,” said Tanner, R-Eagle.
Despite the lengthy debate, Friday’s House vote wasn’t close.
The budget bill passed on a 48-22 vote, a marked departure from Monday’s narrow 18-17 Senate vote to pass the measure. And while four of JFAC’s 10 Senate members opposed the bill — and two debated against it — JFAC’s 10 House members generally held the line. Only two of these 10 lawmakers opposed the cuts: Reps. James Petzke, R-Meridian, and Brooke Green, D-Boise.
Senate Bill 1331 now goes to Little’s desk.
