February 1, 2026
ARPA 4.0? Idaho’s Rural Health Grant Raises Familiar Red Flags
Government by Task Force: Idaho’s Quiet Shift
Is the Rural Health Transformation Program simply ARPA 4.0?
This program was authorized by the federal “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” which allocates $50 billion nationwide, at a time when our nation carries $38 trillion in debt. Idaho alone is slated to receive nearly $1 billion over five years.
The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare and Governor Brad Little determined, on their own, that Idaho “needs” this funding. The application was completed and the grant approved without any vote of the Legislature.
In further neglect of the constitutional responsibilities vested in the legislative branch, the Governor then created a task force, comprised largely of unelected officials, to decide how, when, and where this money will be spent.
This program also adds 13 full-time temporary government positions. We are told these positions last only five years, but we have seen this before. Positions created with ARPA funding were labeled “temporary” as well, yet many remain today long after the money is gone.
In short, the executive branch is sidestepping the legislative branch, operating under the mindset of “we know this is wrong, but we’ll do it anyway and ask for forgiveness later.”
When Senate and House leadership saw what was taking place, they responded by creating their own task force for legislative oversight. But do two wrongs make a right?
Both task forces hand-pick their members, once again bypassing the germane committees, the Appropriations Committees, and the Legislature as a whole, bodies that operate with greater transparency and are elected by the people, not appointed by the Governor or leadership.
We are in session right now to do the people’s work. If that means longer hours, then so be it. If it means working late into the night and missing lobbyist dinners, then that is what we do. That is the job.
Creating additional task forces only increases time, costs taxpayers more money, and adds unnecessary workload to legislative services, rather than addressing the issue through the proper constitutional process.
Why I share this….
I share this because I was blindsided during a meeting with Juliet Charron, Acting Director of the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, while discussing my concerns about the Rural Health Fund grant. My concern centered on how the federal grant defines “rural.” Under that definition, nearly all of Idaho is considered rural, which means large hospital systems that already dominate Idaho’s health care market would be positioned to receive a substantial share of the funding.
I also asked a critical question: What happens when the money is gone in five years?
During that same meeting, I was informed that the task force was scheduled to meet that afternoon at 2:30 p.m. I asked how that was possible when the Legislature had not yet voted on the appropriation or the enabling language. I also asked who created the task force.
I then checked the legislative website and confirmed that the meeting was indeed scheduled and that the committee had already been appointed. I personally approached those selected on the Senate side, and every one of them was unaware of their appointment. They were just as surprised as I was. In the rush to assemble the task force, leadership failed to notify those they had appointed.
When I attended the meeting, the room was packed with lobbyists, agency staff, hospital administrators, and health care executives. It was striking that legislators assigned to the task force knew nothing about the meeting, yet all of these interests did.
I subsequently sent a letter to all 105 legislators, expressing my disappointment and requesting answers. Only one Representative, who was not in leadership, responded. Leadership’s response was silence… crickets.
Eventually, the Chairman of the Task Force, Representative Redman, contacted me to offer an explanation. I was still not satisfied with either the explanation or the lack of response.
As a result, I asked JFAC Chairman Tanner for permission to ask a question prior to our presentations. I formally asked who created the task force, when it was created, how much notice was provided before the meeting held on Wednesday the 29th at 2:30 p.m., and I made it clear that I had unresolved questions and expected answers on the record.
What is the solution?
Idaho should adopt policy that prevents the executive branch and its appointed agencies from independently applying for large federal grants that create long-term obligations.
The Idaho Constitution assigns budgeting authority and oversight to the Legislative Branch. Those decisions must start there, not be presented after commitments are already made.
Let’s learn from the mistakes made with the ARPA-Covid 23 billion, money that we stole from our grandchildren.
Our children and grandchildren deserve better. They should not inherit a $38 trillion and growing, national debt because we chose convenience over courage, or comfort over responsibility. They should not be left holding the bill because today’s leaders wanted a smoother path or feared the political cost of saying no.
We also need to stop making excuses.
The argument that “if Idaho doesn’t take the money, another state will” is not sound reasoning. By that logic, any harmful choice can be justified. It’s the same flawed thinking as saying, “I took the drugs because if I didn’t, someone else would.” That doesn’t make the choice right, it just avoids accountability.
Additional Links
“Idaho has received nearly $23 billion in funds related to COVID and the public health emergency over the last few years, including money for individuals and businesses.” IFF-Fred Birnbaum
