Idaho Lt. Gov. Urges Lawmakers to Protect Education and Infrastructure Amid Budget Cuts

Bedke highlights the importance of maintaining investments in programs like Idaho Launch and water infrastructure projects.

Published on Feb. 27, 2026

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Idaho's Lieutenant Governor Scott Bedke is urging state lawmakers to protect investments in education and infrastructure as they consider budget cuts this legislative session. Bedke highlighted the importance of maintaining funding for programs like the Idaho Launch scholarship initiative and water infrastructure projects, even as the state faces a projected budget shortfall due to previous tax cuts.

Why it matters

Bedke's call to safeguard education and infrastructure spending comes as Idaho grapples with the financial impacts of past tax reduction measures. As the state looks to tighten its belt, there are concerns that critical investments in the future workforce and natural resources could be jeopardized.

The details

Bedke told a Boise Metro Chamber of Commerce meeting that the Legislature is facing a 'self-inflicted problem' this year, with a projected $4 billion budget shortfall over the past five years due to income tax cuts. While the governor and budget committee have largely exempted K-12 education from cuts, Bedke emphasized the importance of protecting other key initiatives like the Idaho Launch program, which provides grants to high school seniors for higher education or workforce training. Bedke also stressed the need to maintain recent investments in water infrastructure projects, noting that the state must proactively manage its water resources before a crisis emerges.

  • In 2023, the Idaho Legislature created the $80 million Idaho Launch program.
  • Last year, the Legislature approved $30 million for water infrastructure projects, including aquifer recharge and support for a major water rights settlement agreement.

The players

Scott Bedke

The Lieutenant Governor of Idaho who is urging state lawmakers to protect investments in education and infrastructure amid budget cuts.

Brad Little

The Governor of Idaho who last summer directed nearly all state agencies to cut their budgets by 3% for the current fiscal year and beyond.

Mike Moyle

The Speaker of the Idaho House of Representatives who has faced scrutiny over the Idaho Launch program.

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What they’re saying

“Education is the single largest investment that we will make every year, approximately half of our general fund budget, and it should be, because it is the single determinant of what Idaho will look like 20 years from now.”

— Scott Bedke, Lieutenant Governor (Idaho Capital Sun)

“There's still a gap between what our economy needs and what the education pipeline is producing. Closing that gap is good for students and good for business, and we want to keep pushing that.”

— Scott Bedke, Lieutenant Governor (Idaho Capital Sun)

“It's not a charity exercise. It's a strategic exercise. You can't appropriate your way out of a depleted water table. You have to manage the resources before the crisis, rather than after.”

— Scott Bedke, Lieutenant Governor (Idaho Capital Sun)

What’s next

The current-fiscal year budget cuts to nearly every agency need to be approved by both chambers of the Idaho Legislature through Senate Bill 1331. The fiscal year 2027 cuts are baked into the maintenance budgets for each agency, which will also need to be approved by the Legislature.

The takeaway

As Idaho faces a budget shortfall, Lieutenant Governor Bedke's call to protect investments in education and infrastructure highlights the delicate balance the state must strike between fiscal responsibility and safeguarding critical long-term investments in its people and natural resources.