Idaho
Idaho DOGE Task Force recommends repealing Medicaid Expansion, defunding Idaho Commission on Hispanic Affairs
BOISE, Idaho — During an end-of-year meeting, the Idaho DOGE Task Force recommended that the Idaho Legislature repeal Medicaid Expansion in Idaho. The task force also recommended the eventual defunding of the Idaho Commission on Hispanic Affairs.
The Idaho DOGE Task Force is not a representative committee and can only make recommendations to lawmakers ahead of the 2026 legislative session.
In 2018, 60% of Idahoans voted in favor of Medicaid expansion, then listed on the ballot as Idaho Proposition 2.
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In Idaho, Medicaid Expansion allows state residents ages 19–64 with incomes up to 138% of the federal poverty level to qualify for Medicaid benefits— even if they don’t have dependent children or disabilities, which were previously required.
The program is jointly funded by the federal government and the state. The program aims to reduce the uninsured rate, improve access to care, and lower uncompensated care costs for hospitals.
Now, the state faces a $40+ million budget deficit and is looking for ways to mitigate the effects of that windfall.
Recommended repeal of Medicaid Expansion
During preliminary comments ahead of the discussion regarding Medicaid Expansion, Co-Chair of the Idaho DOGE Task Force, Senator Todd M. Lakey (R) said he didn’t support Medicaid Expansion when it was proposed and to this day remains opposed.
Sen. Lakey cited one comment on the DOGE Task Force website that claimed people were defrauding Medicaid in lieu of working full-time. Sen. Lakey read that comment aloud, which stated that Medicaid Expansion is “training and teaching Idahoans how to be poor and live like they are our liberal neighbors.”
Following that preliminary statement, Representative Josh Tanner (R) of Eagle made the motion to repeal Medicaid Expansion, saying that in his business experience, he witnessed prospective employees who wanted to work less than 30 hours to retain their Medicaid benefits. He went on to claim that Medicaid is keeping working Idahoans out of the workforce.
Hear Sen. Lakey’s preliminary statement on Medicaid Expansion in Idaho
Idaho DOGE Task Force: Medicaid Expansion
The motion passed with the lone dissenting votes coming from Senator Carrie Semmelroth (D) of Boise and Representative Dustin Manwaring (R) of Pocatello.
Sen. Semmelroth cited concerns on exactly how the move would ensure “fiscal responsibility” for the State of Idaho moving forward, “given how complex this issue is.” She went on to cite that the catastrophic fund was eliminated when Medicaid was expanded and that she would like to see its return if Medicaid Expansion were repealed.
Rep. Manwaring said his “no” vote came from a reform mindset that would forgo a full repeal. He stated that his approach was due in large part to Medicaid Expansion’s previous support by Idaho voters. Rep. Manwaring stated he’d rather “contain costs” without a full repeal.
Defunding the Idaho Commission on Hispanic Affairs
Earlier in the meeting, the Idaho DOGE Task Force also heard testimony from the executive director of the Idaho Commission on Hispanic Affairs, Annette Tipton, regarding its state funding. The Idaho Commission on Hispanic Affairs was created to serve as a bridge between the Hispanic Community and the state government. The commission regularly hosts events and programs to empower the Hispanic community within Idaho while simultaneously serving as a communication channel between the state government and the Hispanic community.
Tipton called the commission “modest but mighty” and explained how they had cut costs over the past 7 months while “doing more with less.” She went on to say the commission’s “impact has affected all of Idaho.” Ultimately, she said the commission will be requesting $85,000 for the 2026 fiscal year. Those funds would go solely towards paying her salary as well as an assistant.
Hear Rep. Tanner’s comments on the Idaho Commission on Hispanic Affairs and Executive Director Annette Tipton’s repsonse
Idaho DOGE Task Force: Idaho Commission on Hispanic Affairs
Rep. Tanner questioned the commission’s premise, asking, “How do you justify within a Hispanic Commission a separate specialized commission that’s doing something, when realistically, we are all Americans, and that is what we should be working for?” He went on to add, “This seems like more of a DEI type thing.”
Tipton said the commission’s purpose is not DEI-based but instead is based on “Idaho values.” She went on to claim that the Commission has seen its Idaho Youth Leadership event retain a 50% Hispanic, 50% non-Hispanic attendance. She says all the commission’s events are open to all Idahoans, not just Hispanics.
Rep. Tanner ultimately made a motion to remove any general funds for the Idaho Commission on Hispanic Affairs, and instead, recommended that the commission be privately funded in the future. The task force passed the motion and recommended a two-year runway to defund the commission. The only dissenting vote came from Sen. Semmelroth.
DENVER (KDVR) — Three Colorado motorcyclists died on Tuesday in northern Idaho after a pickup truck driver, also from Colorado, hit all three while trying to pass another vehicle, according to the Idaho State Police.
The crash happened at about 4 p.m. Tuesday outside the town of Kooskia on U.S. 12, police said. The pickup truck driver, identified as a 60-year-old Colorado Springs woman, was headed west on the highway when she crossed the double yellow line in a no-passing zone while trying to pass another vehicle.
She then collided head-on with the three motorcycles that were headed east on the highway.
The three motorcyclists died at the scene. The Idaho County Coroner identified the motorcyclists as: Ethan Powers, 35, of Timnath, Jeremy Coleman, 45 of Berthoud, and Nathan McCormick, 26, of Loveland.
The Colorado Fraternal Order of Police later identified Coleman and Powers as a sergeant and deputy with the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office and McCormick as Coleman’s son-in-law.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with their families, friends, coworkers, and the members of FOP Lodge 4 as they face the difficult days ahead,” the union said. “The law enforcement profession is built on service, sacrifice, and commitment to others. Sgt. Coleman and Deputy Powers dedicated their lives to protecting their community, and their impact will continue to be felt by those who had the privilege of serving alongside them.”
The truck driver was taken to a hospital for medical evaluation before being released then arrested. She was booked into the Idaho County Jail on probable cause for three counts of vehicular manslaughter, police said.
The following is a press release from the Idaho State Police:
The Idaho State Police (ISP) is investigating a three-fatality crash that occurred at approximately 4 p.m. on Tuesday, June 16, 2026, on U.S. Highway 12 near milepost 113 east of Kooskia.
The preliminary investigation indicates a 2019 Ford F-150 was traveling westbound on U.S. Highway 12 when the driver attempted to pass another vehicle in a marked no-passing zone. The pickup crossed the double yellow centerline and collided with three motorcycles traveling eastbound.
The three motorcyclists sustained fatal injuries and died at the scene.
The 60-year-old female driver of the Ford, from Colorado Springs, Colorado, was transported to a local hospital for medical evaluation. Following her release, she was arrested and booked into the Idaho County Jail on probable cause for three counts of vehicular manslaughter.
The Idaho County Coroner’s Office will identify the deceased and determine the cause and manner of death.
U.S. Highway 12 was closed for approximately six and one-half hours while emergency responders assisted at the scene and investigators processed evidence.
ISP was assisted by the Idaho County Sheriff’s Office, the Idaho County Coroner’s Office, the Idaho Transportation Department, and local fire and EMS personnel.
The crash remains under investigation.
Amazon’s Prime Video has renewed One Night in Idaho: The College Murders for a second season.
The three new episodes will deliver “first-time, exclusive access to the police and lead investigators who bore the weight of a nation’s obsession and — until now — were unable to tell their story due to a gag order on the case,” the streamer says.
One Night in Idaho: The College Murders comes from director Matthew Galkin (Murder in the Bayou) and showrunner Katie A. King; Liz Garbus’ Story Syndicate produces. They all pivoted when Bryan Kohberger pled guilty to the gruesome crimes.
In 2022, Kohberger brutally stabbed and killed Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Ethan Chapin and Xana Kernodle in their Moscow, Idaho rental home. The case spawned a pair of documentary projects, released eight days apart. Compare and contrast Prime Video’s One Night in Idaho: The College Murders and Peacock’s The Idaho Student Murders here.
Season two of One Night in Idaho “follows the law enforcement officers who lived the investigation from the inside, who until now were unable to tell their story. With exclusive access to local detectives and first responders, key members of the Moscow Police Department and the Idaho State Police, and intimate archival material — including bodycam footage, police interviews, and forensic evidence — the series unfolds as both a harrowing police procedural and a deeply personal hero’s journey for the lead investigators,” the synopsis reads. “Viewers are pulled deep into the case through the raw, emotional, first-person perspectives of Lead Detectives Brett Payne and Darren Gilbertson, Police Chief James Fry, and the many men and women who worked alongside them. The season will also check back in with those closest to the case — including friends and family — in the wake of Bryan Kohberger’s shocking plea, offering a fuller picture of where things stand today,” per the description.
The new episodes are executive produced by Galkin, Garbus, King, Dan Cogan, Jon Bardin, Joshua Levine, Tommy Coriale, James Patterson, Bill Robinson and Patrick Santa. Garbus (I’ll Be Gone in the Dark) directed the first season.
One Night in Idaho: The College Murders is produced by Amazon MGM Studios, Paramount Television Studios, Story Syndicate, James Patterson Entertainment and Fairhaven.
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