Our Budget Pledge Wasn’t Grandstanding. It Was a Warning

A message from the Gang of 8.

When the eight of us took the budget pledge last session, we made a clear commitment: we would not vote for any budget that added full-time positions, accepted more federal dollars, or grew by more than 1.2 percent. We weren’t looking for applause. And we weren’t grandstanding. We were drawing a line based on principle and long-term responsibility.

Some dismissed the pledge as a stunt. Others said it was rigid or unrealistic. But today, it is clear that it was neither. It was a prediction. And now that prediction is becoming reality.

This month, the U.S. Department of Education froze $33.3 million in federal education funds destined for Idaho. That freeze put a wide range of programs on hold, including funding for teacher training, migrant education, academic enrichment, before- and after-school programs, and English language instruction. But let’s be honest: these programs weren’t created because Idaho prioritized them. They were created because federal dollars made them politically easy to justify. Now that those dollars are frozen, we’re told it’s a crisis. But the real crisis is building government on a foundation of temporary, unstable money.

At the same time, State revenues have come in below projections, prompting concerns about potential agency holdbacks of 2 to 6 percent. This isn’t the result of an economic downturn or a drop in tax collections. In fact, revenues are higher this year than last.

The $141 million so-called “shortfall” is simply a gap between projected and actual revenue, not a deficit compared to previous years. General Fund revenue is up 2.9% compared to this time last year, and overall gross tax receipts are up even more. The issue isn’t declining revenue, it’s the pace and structure of government spending.

This is exactly why the pledge mattered.

When government assumes money will always flow, it builds on sand. It adds programs, grows payrolls, expands obligations, and avoids asking the tough questions. But when the tide recedes, as it now has, the difference between wants and needs becomes impossible to ignore, and we see how unstable the foundation really is.

We have reached that moment.

Programs that were once treated as essential are now being downsized or scrapped. Services once considered permanent are now being postponed or reassigned. Many of these programs only existed because federal dollars made them politically easy to justify. Without federal dollars to shield them, these programs are being exposed as unsustainable and unnecessary.

This is not how responsible government should work.

As legislators, we believe Idaho must build its budget on what it can sustain, not what it hopes to receive from Washington, D.C. The federal government is $36+ trillion in debt and sinking deeper by the day. That kind of spending isn’t stable, and it certainly isn’t safe to depend on. For years, the federal spigot has flowed freely, fueling programs that expanded state government far beyond what Idahoans ever asked for. But federal funds come with strings, mandates, and risks. And now, as we’re seeing across the state, those risks are becoming real. We must plan for volatility, not pretend it won’t come.

That is why we took the pledge. And it is why we stand by it now.

We will not vote to grow the size of government when revenues are uncertain. We will not tie Idaho’s future to unpredictable federal programs. And we will not look the other way while budgets expand beyond what the people of Idaho can support. It’s time to turn off the spigot, to stop the flow of unsustainable federal dollars and the chains that come with them.

We’re asking Idaho citizens to help hold the line. That means demanding accountability for every dollar spent, rejecting dependence on unreliable federal funds, and insisting that government stay within its proper, limited bounds. Real leadership isn’t measured by how much is spent, but by how much is restrained.

The $33 million federal freeze and the $141 million gap between projected and actual state revenue aren’t coincidences. They’re both the result of building budgets on uncertain ground, federal money that disappears, and revenue forecasts that don’t materialize.

The pledge was not grandstanding. It was a warning.

And with every new financial shakeup, that principle becomes more essential.

Idaho families don’t get to spend money they don’t have. Neither should their government. If you agree it’s time to draw the line, speak up. Contact your legislators, show up at local meetings, and ask the tough questions. Responsible government doesn’t start in Boise—it starts with you.

In Liberty,

Senator Christy Zito, District 8
Zito4Idaho@protonmail.com

Senator Glenneda Zuiderveld, District 24
GZuiderveld@senate.idaho.gov
Substack: @glenneda

Senator Josh Kohl, District 25
JKohl@senate.idaho.gov
Substack: @joshkohl4idaho

Representative Faye Thompson, District 8
FayeforLD8@gmail.com

Representative Lucas Cayler, District 11
LCayler@house.idaho.gov
Substack: @lucascayler

Representative Kent Marmon, District 11
KMarmon@house.idaho.gov
Substack: @kentmarmon

Representative Clint Hostetler, District 24
CHostetler@house.idaho.gov
Substack: @theidahoresolve

Representative David Leavitt, District 25
DLeavitt@house.idaho.gov
Substack: @Leavitt4Idaho

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