Idaho’s top politicians are now working hard to spin the MAGA program

After having provided unwavering support to programs that will prove harmful to our state and nation, Idaho’s top elected officials have found themselves in full-spin mode. Our Congressional delegation, although largely avoiding direct contact with voters in open town halls, have been using the Congressional recess to spin the effect of MAGA programs they supported.

Congressman Mike Simpson has been the most disappointing. As Idaho Attorney General, I supported Mike’s run for the Idaho Legislature in 1984. He served honorably and intelligently for 14 years and has served in the US House since 1989. Mike has done some good work over the years, at least until the Trump regime took over America’s government. Mike has become a loyal Trump sycophant in the House.

In an August 5 talk to the Idaho Falls Chamber of Commerce, Simpson lauded his support for the recently-passed Big Beautiful Billionaire Bill (BBBB). The bill extends forever the large tax cuts enacted in 2017, which were heavily skewed to the rich. Simpson blew off the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) calculation that the BBBB will add $3.5 trillion to America’s national debt, bringing our indebtedness to around 40 trillion dollars. Simpson claimed the “CBO is never right.” It is rather strange that Simpson placed reliance on the CBO cost estimate of the Fiscal Responsibility Act in 2023. The well-regarded Bipartisan Policy Center has verified the CBO determination.

Simpson continually wails about the ever-increasing national debt. His website says:

“The impact of an ever increasing national debt, if allowed to grow unchecked, can be disastrous for the economy. I am especially concerned that future generations of Americans will probably be the ones expected to pay down this debt.” His support for BBBB’s billionaire tax relief apparently takes priority over those future generations. Simpson bemoaned that “the biggest payment we make today is interest on the national debt, over a trillion dollars.” The BBBB will substantially increase that payment.

Simpson also wants to finance tax relief for the wealthy by cutting “wasteful Medicaid spending for illegal migrants and people who can work but refuse to.” He doesn’t seem to know that undocumented migrants cannot receive Medicaid assistance, except in limited emergency situations. And most adult Medicaid recipients are already working. According to reliable KFF research, “nearly two-thirds of adults ages 19-64 covered by Medicaid were working and nearly three in ten were not working because of caregiving responsibilities, illness or disability, or due to school attendance.”

Congressman Russ Fulcher, the most subservient member of Idaho’s MAGA delegation, enthusiastically supported the BBBB, even though his website says that America’s “escalating debt trajectory is unsustainable and poses significant risks to future generations.” Fulcher is the only member of the delegation who declined to oppose the sale of public lands in Idaho.

Senators Jim Risch and Mike Crapo almost got themselves crosswise with the great majority of Idahoans by supporting a MAGA effort to sell public lands as part of the BBBB deliberations. When they saw that both of Montana’s Republican Senators were against land sales and that most Idahoans hate the idea, they did a quick about face.

They both voted for the massive tax relief for the rich and for substantial cuts to medical care and nutrition assistance for struggling Idahoans. Senator Crapo was the person who gave Simpson and other MAGA members of Congress the preposterous idea that the BBBB would not increase the national debt. Crapo used smoke-and-mirrors economics to reach that result. Both Risch and Crapo vociferously oppose spending that increases the national debt, but that must only apply when others do it.

The other MAGA problem facing Idaho and the rest of the nation is the chaotic tariff dance being conducted by Donald Trump. Congress has the Constitutional authority for setting the country’s tariff policy, as well as controlling the nation’s purse strings. The MAGA Congress has completely abdicated its power and obligation on both counts. Trump unlawfully withholds spending on programs authorized by Congress and arbitrarily imposes tariffs that will hit American consumers in their pocketbooks. All of this goes on without a peep from our petrified MAGA delegation.

An Idaho businesswoman met with Senator Crapo to outline the damage that Trump tariffs were wreaking on her business. He told her there was little he could do to help; his hands were tied because the president was going it alone. Crapo may have forgotten that he was Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, which has jurisdiction over tax and trade policy. He certainly has the power to stop her pain.

Crapo and the rest of Idaho’s Congressional delegation lack the courage to stand up for their state and country. Rather than fulfill their sacred oath to stand up for constitutional government, they spend their time spinning the destructive MAGA program. Perhaps it’s time for voters to put them out to pasture.

About the Author
Jim Jones is a Vietnam combat veteran who served 8 years as Idaho Attorney General (1983-1991) and 12 years as a Justice on the Idaho Supreme Court (2005-2017).