Idaho Democratic lawmakers are questioning Gov. Brad Little’s (R) conservative budget approach, despite his administration calling revenue growth “red hot.”
Little’s proposed $4.06 billion spending plan for the next fiscal year bakes in a 2% cut to the base budget of every state agency aside from K-12 education. It would also sock away about $100 million to Idaho’s rainy-day fund, which ranks among the best in the country.
But Democrats, such as House Minority Leader Ilana Rubel (D-Boise) and Rep. Melissa Wintrow (D-Boise) have asked why the state is cutting back at a time when revenues are still projected to grow over the next five years, even in the most pessimistic forecast. They’re projected to increase by 4.2% next year.
Alex Adams is Little’s budget chief. He said the reason the administration took this approach is because Little had a front-row seat to how Idaho weathered the last recession.
“He saw how painful it was to send out a memo to the agencies and tell them they had 48-hours to come up with a plan for a 1% cut. That’s why he gave unprecedented historical notice,” Adams said.
State economists say there’s a 35% chance of a small and short-lived recession coming in the next year or so, but that it won’t significantly affect Idaho.
Little’s budget proposal was well-received by Republicans. Legislative budget hearings begin Wednesday morning.
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