Bob Neugebauer and Ron Nate, president of the Idaho Freedom Foundation, deliver a comprehensive end-of-session breakdown of what’s happening — and not happening — at the Idaho Capitol. Nate opens with a sobering budget update: after the legislature attempted $813 million in spending cuts to bring the 2026 budget into balance, agency enhancement requests have […]
Our legislative process is meant to play out in plain view—in public committee hearings, open floor sessions, and recorded votes. But one of the most consequential parts often happens quietly, behind closed doors: when committee chairmen choose not to schedule bills for a hearing, effectively killing them without fanfare, public input, or a vote. “Drawering” […]
Bob Neugebauer welcomes Ron Nate, president of the Idaho Freedom Foundation, to the Idaho Pulse for a St. Patrick’s Day legislative update covering Idaho’s deepening budget crisis, stalled reform bills, and the fight over Medicaid expansion. Nate reports that while the governor signed the rescission bill enacting 4% cuts for 2026 and 5% for 2027, […]
Imagine there was an organization that donated almost exclusively to left-wing candidates, promoted radical racial and gender ideologies, and constantly attacked America’s Christian heritage. Now imagine that your tax dollars subsidized this organization. Well, you don’t have to imagine, because it’s sadly true. Idaho tax dollars are currently being used to support the teachers’ union—and […]
Over the past few days, I’ve found myself bewildered—though not surprised—by the hypocrisy, naïveté, and lack of self-awareness exhibited by many of our legislators and those inside the Governor’s Office. As the state’s budget shortfall dominates attention and agency funding requests come under scrutiny, the same old games are being played while the public remains […]
For years I have been writing about why the Grocery Tax must be repealed because it hurts those Idahoans who are on the lowest rungs of the economic scale. Our staff has taken the time and effort to do the research on how this regressive tax came about and have turned it into a book […]
Bob Neugebauer welcomes Ron Nate, president of the Idaho Freedom Foundation, for a wide-ranging breakdown of the 2026 Idaho legislative session. Nate reveals that 884 bills have been prepared—the highest in five years—yet only nine have passed both the House and Senate, raising sharp questions about what lawmakers are actually accomplishing during a primary election […]
Bob Neugebauer welcomes Ron Nate, president of the Idaho Freedom Foundation, to the Idaho Pulse for a wide-ranging conversation on the state of Idaho’s legislative session. Nate opens with a detailed breakdown of the state’s budget crisis, explaining how six years of spending growth—fueled significantly by federal COVID-era funding—has now pushed Idaho into a budget […]
Bob Neugebauer welcomes Ron Nate, president of the Idaho Freedom Foundation, back to the Idaho Pulse for a weekly legislative update that paints a troubling picture of Idaho’s current session. Nate details a growing list of serious bills being killed by committee chairs: CPS reform legislation that would inform parents of their rights, cloud seeding […]
Reconciling Economic Contributions with Fiscal Costs An Analysis of Competing Data and Perspectives on Unauthorized Workers The February 2026 release of an economic impact study by the Idaho Alliance for a Legal Workforce has reignited debates about unauthorized immigration’s role in Idaho’s economy. While the study projects devastating economic consequences if unauthorized workers are removed, […]
Bob Neugebauer welcomes Idaho Freedom Foundation President Ron Nate to the Idaho Pulse for a sweeping discussion of the battles shaping the 2026 Idaho legislative session. The conversation opens with the historic and controversial Convention of States vote, which passed the Idaho House 36 to 34 for the first time in state history. Nate details […]
Nearly two decades ago, I stood with millions of American taxpayers in demanding an end to bailouts, crony capitalism, and endless government spending. The Tea Party movement was a wake-up call to the political class that the working people of America were fed up. How simple it seems looking back. If you had told me […]