Brad Little’s Budget Shows Us Who He Is

Gov. Brad Little once convinced voters he was “moderate,” that he would protect families, students, and workers. He’ll have to campaign on something else.

By giving $450 million to insiders and billionaires a year ago, Brad Little created a budget “crisis” this year. 

Now he is making deep cuts–by choice–that will harm most of us. 

His cuts have already killed people who had the misfortune of needing mental health care. 

One place that will ripple through communities will be the continued state assault on school funding. 

Public schools will see stagnant funding levels, which any regular person who buys food understands is a cut because of inflation. Kids going to college can expect tuition and fees hikes while course offerings crater–as Little starves colleges and universities by $18 million. 

It’s no mystery where those cuts sit with rightwing thought-leaders. Factor in their ongoing assault on free speech, libraries, and “flags.” Add on the revocation of abortion rights, efforts to force religion into public spaces, demonizing LGBTQ folks, and glorifying federal agents who trample our rights. It’s clear that Brad Little answers to folks who don’t support schools that teach people to read widely and think independently.

Consequences of the cuts will not be “unintended” surprises. Many legislators, mostly our outnumbered Democrats, have raised red flags along the way. 

Cuts to the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, essential services and bridges and roads will hurt citizens and small businesses. These are things that we need and that decent people want. So, cities and counties will end up paying for them. That $450 million tax cut was never supposed to go to regular folks–it was only for billionaires and insiders. 

But I don’t see any reason that Brad Little still can’t revisit that cut. None at all.

He just doesn’t want to.

Haven’t we seen enough of Brad Little?