Idaho Democratic Party News and Articles

For generations, Idaho Democrats have protected the places that make this state what it is. We believe our public lands belong to all of us, not just the highest-bidding billionaires. Sen. Frank Church led the fight to pass the Wilderness Act and the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. As Interior Secretary, Cecil Andrus drove the effort that secured passage of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act, the largest [...]

Disenrollments nearly doubled, new enrollments fell 24%, and 20,000 Idahoans expected to cancel coverage in the coming months. New enrollment data from Your Health Idaho provides a first look at the impact of Republicans’ refusal to extend the enhanced ACA premium tax credits. Idaho became the first state in the nation to end enrollment amid this uncertainty. The credits make coverage affordable for more than 100,000 Idahoans. Without them, [...]

Democrats have long recognized that Americans deserve affordable medical care. For much of our history, you got the best care in the world only if you were wealthy. Everyone else lived a different reality. Even if you were “lucky” enough to have insurance, you could hit coverage caps just as you got sick or be denied because of a preexisting condition. If you were self-employed, worked a job without [...]

Today, Senators Mike Crapo and Jim Risch voted against extending enhanced ACA premium tax credits that 100,605 Idahoans rely on to afford their health care. On December 15, Idaho becomes the first state in the nation where the ACA open enrollment window closes, and Idahoans will be the first to see the consequences of Republicans’ refusal to act. Without these credits, families are expected to see their monthly premiums [...]

Good governance depends on accountability. Idaho just got a hard reminder of why. The nonpartisan Office of Performance Evaluations released a 129-page evaluation of the Idaho Home Learning Academy, a fast-growing virtual public charter school authorized through the Oneida School District. The report shows what happens when education dollars move through weak guardrails. Families used taxpayer-funded accounts for items like streaming subscriptions, video games, water park tickets, virtual reality [...]

In just one month, Idahoans will be forced to bear the costs of the Republicans’ health care affordability crisis. On January 1, more than 100,000 Idahoans will face premium hikes averaging 114%, on top of the tens of thousands who will lose Medicaid coverage due to GOP policies and funding cuts. Americans across the country have begged Trump and Republicans to act on the expiring enhanced ACA premium tax [...]

Every Idaho family deserves the chance to get help when a crisis hits. But GOP leaders are pushing mental health services further out of reach. The system was already strained. Idaho ranks near the bottom nationally. Hundreds die by suicide each year, and tens of thousands report suicidal thoughts. Rural families face long drives and longer waitlists. School mental health staff are overwhelmed. For many, help never arrives. Now [...]

Families across Idaho know something isn’t adding up. They’re working hard, but the bills keep getting heavier. Groceries cost more. Rents and home prices are skyrocketing. Child care eats a bigger share of every paycheck. Schools need levies to maintain the basics, and rural hospitals are stretched to their limits. People feel squeezed, and the Republican supermajority keeps making things worse. Over the past decade, GOP lawmakers have rewritten [...]

From the grocery store to the gas pump, a new report from the U.S. Senate Joint Economic Committee found that Idaho families have lost $864 in purchasing power since Donald Trump took office. In addition to skyrocketing groceries and rent, the cost of energy bills in Idaho has increased by 13.1%. Meanwhile, Donald Trump is building a gilded ballroom, hosting Great Gatsby parties, and pocketing billions of dollars for [...]