Budgets, water and nuclear energy: Little, Bedke and Simpson discuss issues facing state
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IDAHO FALLS — Gov. Brad Little, Lt. Gov. Scott Bedke and U.S. Rep. Mike Simpson, all Republicans, returned to speak with the Greater Idaho Falls Chamber of Commerce about challenges facing the Gem State.
‘Enduring runway’
Part of Little’s opening remarks focused on his and the state’s promise to its students and the state’s Launch program.
Launch allows students to receive $8,000 to use for a four-year or community college, as well as career-technical education or job training, according to Idaho Ed News.
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A portion of the chamber’s event on Friday was dedicated to allowing students in its Emerging Leaders program to ask questions.
“We lead the nation in the increase and growth rate,” Little said. “I have been undaunted in saying that Launch has been and will continue, because like these students and everybody that sits next to them in their class, (they deserve) to have an opportunity for a better life going forward.”
Outside of that, Little also highlighted the state issue dominating headlines: ongoing budget discussions.
The Idaho Senate recently killed a budget that would have cut funding to health and welfare.
These were part of Little’s proposal to reduce state agencies by 3% due to a budget deficit the state is facing.
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Little said the problem came from how late in the year the need to make the adjustments was, with the new fiscal year having started in early July.
“You can imagine, on a 12-month schedule, if you wait 10 months into it and say it’s a 2%, it’s basically a six or an 8% cut,” Little said. “We’re going to have a balanced budget, guaranteed.”
His main goal is to ensure that whatever the Legislature decides regarding the budget, that it won’t affect the younger generation and continue in investing in Idaho.
“All our decisions are based on how we create the runway, the enduring runway, for these kids to prosper here,” he said.
‘This will be a tough year’
One of the main priorities from Bedke’s talk was a focus on water and the unseasonably warm winter Idaho has experienced over the past few months.
“No snow on the ground. The wind’s blowing as usual, but there’s no snow out here,” the lieutenant governor said.
However, he said Idaho is well-positioned to manage this year, highlighting the work done over the past decade on water recharge, along with the water agreement between groundwater and surface water users.
Despite this, he said some farmers would face hardship due to the weather.
Another facet of his talk was looking at the future of nuclear in eastern Idaho.
Earlier this year, Bedke was appointed as a co-chair of the Advanced Nuclear Energy Task Force, according to a release from the governor’s office. He said Idaho’s future would revolve around how well state leaders place the state in the next 10 years to be a vital component in the future of nuclear energy.
He said he went to Washington, D.C., where he met with officials from the U.S. Department of Energy, and asked them how Idaho fit into the department’s plans.
“Their vision for Idaho is truly remarkable,” Bedke said.
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While Bedke did not elaborate on what the department’s vision is for Idaho, he did say that locally, businesses like Premier Technology, have told the him the demand for welders and other trades will spike in the coming years.
ICE and water
Focusing more on the national level, Simpson’s talk focused most it the partial government shutdown affecting the country.
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Simpson said this past week, employees with the Transportation Security Administration missed their first paycheck, with it culminating in the three total lost checks over six months.
“If you’re living paycheck to paycheck, that’s a problem,” Simpson said.
Looking at the other federal agencies, he said, all of them are not getting paid, like Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
This is due to politics and issues Democrats had with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he said.
“Shutting down the government doesn’t stop ICE from doing its job. All you’re doing is shutting down the other parts, and that’s just nonsense,” Simpson said.
The core of Simpson’s discussion during the chamber event focused on issues within Congress and the infighting that has occurred over the years.
One aspect of this is that oversight hearings have devolved into political targeting, a trend he said began in the 2010s.
“If you watch any of the hearings or anything like that, we no longer do hearings to get information,” Simpson said. “We need to get back to real hearings where we say, ‘Hey, how’s it working? How can we make it better?’”
Regarding water, Simpson said the state has federal support for infrastructure projects related to water recharge.
He lauded the efforts of the Legislature and farmers to find solutions to recharge, and he said the next step was to prepare for years like this one.
“I’m willing to try to find funding to do any of those things. You guys decide what we need to do,” Simpson said. “We need to be planning for the future.”