Idaho's Lawmakers Face a Self-Made Mess

Idaho's lawmakers are in a tough spot.

They are dealing with a big budget problem. But this time, it's not because of the economy. It's because of their own choices.

The Problem

• Current deficit: $40 million
• Next year's shortfall: $555.2 million

The Cause

Over the past five years, Idaho's lawmakers have cut income taxes by a total of $4 billion. This means the state has less money every year.

The Context

In the past, when there was a budget problem, lawmakers raised taxes temporarily. This helped until the economy got better. But not this time. This deficit was made during good economic times.

The Solutions

The easy solution would be to:

• Reverse the tax cuts
• Use the $1.4 billion in rainy day funds

But it's unlikely they will do this. They might not want to admit they made a mistake.

What They Should Not Do

They should not:

• Cut taxes even more
• Repeal Medicaid expansion (This would hurt many people and the state's economy)
• Take money from public schools to give to private ones
• Cut public school budgets (Idaho already spends less on schools than it did 20 years ago)