Re: Request to Pause IDHW Childcare Appropriations
Rep. Josh Tanner and I sent a letter to IDHW on New Year’s Eve. We’re demanding they halt new childcare grant payments until they get their house in order.
>>You can read about that here
But there’s still a tad bit of confusion about what this letter is actually about.
Senate Bill 1206 has nothing to do with this (per se). Rep. Tanner voted for that bill. And I voted against it because I think it’s a massive expansion of the nanny state. That disagreement is completely beside the point.
Because nobody who voted for S1206 was voting for fraud.
I don’t care where you stand on childcare policy. Nobody in the legislature wants taxpayer dollars stolen. This is about fraud prevention and if Health and Welfare be trusted with our money.
The $14 million we’re asking to pause is one tiny piece of something much bigger. What I’ve been watching over the past few years keeps me up at night, and I think we’re looking at the tip of the tip of the iceberg.
Community Partner Grants overspent by $427,350. They called it “Kindergate.” Money went to programs serving kids outside the age ranges written into law. The AG investigated for two years.
And you know what happened?
Not one person got charged. Nobody prosecuted. Nobody goes to jail. Shocking, right?
Then we had Family and Personal Care Services spent $8 million on a $4.2 million budget in FY2025, which is 90% over, and the agency claimed rampant fraud and abuse and used that to kill the program (which they did in May 2025), but no evidence was shown to the public and nobody got charged and we’re supposed to just believe massive fraud happened even though they can’t prove it enough to hold anyone accountable. Just… believe them?
Oh, and the Idaho Child Care Program was $15.5 million in the hole last fiscal year and projected to hit $22 million this year from what I can tell. Did they ask us before expanding eligibility? Before cutting family copayments? No. They just used something called “state plans” to bypass the legislature entirely. Meaning they created the deficit and then showed up asking us to cover it later.
And that’s why I co-sponsored House Bill 90 with Representative John Vander Woude in 2025 (to close this loophole). It passed 65-2 in the House, 30-5 in the Senate, and Governor Little signed it March 19th, effective July 1, 2025.
So now, if IDHW wants to expand who qualifies or increase benefits, they have to get the Legislature to pass an actual law (i.e. no more bypassing lawmakers).
But I digress…
Remember that budget committee request after an audit found eight problems? We asked for a corrective action plan and got lawsuits instead. In December 2024 we found out Medicaid Behavioral Health needs another $108 million on top of $44 million already paid beyond the original contract and the cost jumped from $284 million to $510 million and are we supposed to just approve that?
They overspend budgets. They expand programs we never authorized. When questioned, suddenly there’s “fraud everywhere” but they never prove it well enough to prosecute anyone. They just ask for more money and to fix what they broke.
Nobody at IDHW faces consequences. People don’t get terminated. Nobody gets demoted. No jailtime. Just nothing.
Minnesota is happening right now. They say $18 billion in childcare fraud. Bad enrollment verification? Weak financial oversight? Poor inspections? Those are the exact problems Idaho’s audit identified two years ago.
So these aren’t isolated incidents. They’re systemic. In my short time in the Senate, I’ve watched the agency struggle to manage funds within budgets. They claim fraud is happening? They don’t prevent it. Problems surface and accountability goes nowhere.
Which brings me back to why we sent the letter in the first place. Before we hand Health and Welfare another dime, I want fraud prevention actually working. Not “planned.” But actually functionally working.
I want to see enrollment verification that actually confirms who’s getting services. Financial tracking that works. And when fraud gets caught, people need to face prosecution instead of just shutting down programs while fraudsters walk, resign, or move to another state.
And someone needs to explain why nobody at Health and Welfare has faced real consequences.
So, the letter isn’t about childcare policy. And it’s not about SB1206 or how anyone voted.
It’s about answering these fundamental questions:
Can taxpayers trust their largest state agency? Do they manage money responsibly? Will they prosecute people who steal?
Based on what I’ve seen? I don’t think they can. The record is terrible. And I won’t hand them $14 million hoping it turns out different this time.
Accountability first. Get the safeguards working.
That’s why we sent the letter.
