January 5, 2026
Not Flyover Country: Idaho at the Breaking Point?
Holding the Line: Votes That Matter When It Counts
By: Idaho Dist. 24 State Senator Glenneda Zuiderveld
Idaho is not flyover country for fraud, waste, and abuse.
As misused federal funds tied to Somali daycares make the news, that truth matters more than ever.
From my first year in the Legislature, I have tried to be a watchman at the gate, warning of what was coming. I was shocked by how dependent Idaho had become on a federal government now carrying $38 trillion in debt. I asked the same question again and again: What happens when the money stops, not if, but when?
Now, heading into my fourth session, we have our answer.
We face a State deficit. Federal programs and grants are being pulled back. And Idaho State Revenue does not have the funds to continue them. With $5.5 billion in state revenue and nearly $14 billion in total appropriations, the very scenario I warned about is unfolding.
That is why I joined other members of the Gang of Eight in making a clear pledge to Idahoans:
- No enhancement appropriations with new federal funds
- No new full-time government employees
- No spending growth beyond 1.2% for replacement costs
Last year, I was the only “no” vote on many appropriations in JFAC. It wasn’t easy, but I gave my word, and I will not break it. When asked why I voted no, my answer was simple: because I can, and because it is my responsibility to protect Idahoans from an out-of-control government.
When asked what I would do differently, my answer was just as direct.
In a perfect world, we would pause all enhancement appropriations for one year and take a hard look at the $12 billion in maintenance budgets, to identify what is no longer needed, what is being misused, and what we are not constitutionally obligated to fund. We clean that up first.
Then, the following year, we consider enhancements, with strict oversight and real accountability.
We return it to the taxpayers. We cut property taxes, eliminate the grocery tax, and lower income taxes so Idahoans can keep their money, choose their own services, and even build businesses to provide them.
They will manage it better than government ever will.
Writing bills is not our first priority.
Balancing the budget and paying the bills is.
Too often, bills are written so someone can say, “Look what I did,” come re-election time. That is not the purpose of this office. Many of these bills carry unintended consequences that grow government, expand bureaucracy, add employees, and raise taxes, fees, and fines on the people footing the bill.
Government was never meant to compete with local businesses.
It was never meant to replace charity.
Those responsibilities belong where they always have, with the people, private enterprise, community organizations, and charities.
If we are going to right this ship, it starts with an informed citizenry. I would encourage every American and every Idahoan, to read the U.S. Constitution, the Idaho Constitution, the Bill of Rights, the Declaration of Independence, and the Federalist Papers.
An informed people are a self-governing people. That is how we keep our Constitional Republic and right this ship.
Now let’s look at what is happening with the Idaho Child Care Program.
When this came up for a vote, it did not meet our budget pledge, and just as important, it is not a constitutional obligation of the State of Idaho to fund it.
This is exactly what happens when the federal government takes our money, then sends it back with strings attached—telling us how to spend it.
I know many elected officials will say, “These are our tax dollars; we deserve to get them back.” But let me ask a harder question: How do we get our money back when the taxes we send to Washington don’t even cover the interest on our national debt? And why are so many people so complacent about a federal debt that will leave us and future generations shackled?
I will never understand this way of thinking. Too often, it comes from elected officials who have spent a lifetime receiving government paychecks, never running a business, never making payroll, never figuring out how to survive inflation while keeping the doors open.
Their answer always seems to be the same: create another “oversight committee.”
A committee that meets year-round, costs taxpayers more money, makes motions, and sends the issue back to the germane committees for “further study.”
How about this instead: make a motion to repeal it and stop funding it.
Is the hesitation because so many voters either work for government or receive subsidies, and some officials are afraid to upset that voter base? That’s an honest question.
I understand the criticism. I’ve had plenty of people upset with me for voting no on appropriations, claiming I want to defund everything. That is false.
What I am doing is upholding my oath of office and fighting for the citizens who pay to keep government funded but rarely receive any of the benefits.
I wonder whether my challenger, Brent Reinke, or the other challengers here in Southern Idaho, Alex Caval, Cherie Volmer, Casey Swenson, or even Don Hall, who was appointed to Lance Clow’s seat, would have voted no with the 24 who held the line for Idaho Citizens? Or would they have voted yes, like Representatives Clow, Pohanka, Nelson, Miller, Anthon, and Handy?
That is an important question—one voters deserve answered.
Votes matter.
And silence on these questions tells you just as much as an answer.
