BOISE, Idaho — “I should have said, well, the bridge is pretty much falling out from under my feet because that's not how you do budgets,” said Democratic Senator Melissa Wintrow, expressing frustration over what she calls “budget chaos” in Idaho's legislature.
Wintrow’s criticism came to a head Wednesday when she and fellow Democratic Senator Janie Ward-Engelking walked out of a Joint Finance and Appropriations Committee (JFAC) meeting, denying a quorum in protest of how state spending decisions are made.
“My colleague and I walked off the committee to basically disrupt quorum. And that was the only way to stop what I saw was going to be folks who were just going to start killing budgets,” added Wintrow.
The walkout follows division within the committee over how to spend Idahoan tax dollars and how much to cut. The state's population growth has lawmakers grappling with increased demands for infrastructure, education, and health services, while many Republicans say government spending is out of control.
Republican Representative Josh Tanner, also a JFAC member, says it’s time to rein in spending and ensure taxpayer dollars are used wisely. “I think a lot of people within the public… they want to see tax cuts. They don’t want to see government take their money for no current reason and just spend it,” said Tanner.
While Democrats argue the focus should be on meeting the state’s needs, some conservative lawmakers want to pull back funding and cut programs they see as unnecessary.
“I believe we are operating in a culture of cuts. And there is a growing number of legislators who have been elected that I think don't see the value of government. And so we see a growing number of people in the Joint Finance and Appropriations Committee that are just saying no to budgets. No discussion, no negotiation, no review,” said Wintrow.
For Tanner, the priority is ensuring taxpayers get a return on their investment, while others worry infighting interferes with the state's ability to function. “We’re doing the best job at trying to find the areas, trying to make sure our infrastructure, roads, and schools, but within that, we want to make sure we aren’t being wasteful with money,” added Tanner.
“We can't let our ideologies get in the way of funding the things that are in statute that make our government run efficiently and effectively,” said Wintrow.
