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State of the State: 2025 vs 2026
Governor Brad Little -- comparing priorities year over year
Governor Brad Little's two addresses reveal a dramatic shift from expansionary optimism in 2025 to fiscal restraint and budget discipline in 2026. In 2025, under the banner of "KEEPING PROMISES," Little proposed $100 million in new tax relief, $50 million to expand school choice, and over $150 million for public schools, along with new investments in housing, transportation, firefighters, and cybersecurity. By 2026, under the "ENDURING IDAHO" plan, the governor acknowledged a nearly 14 percent decline in the revenue forecast and pivoted to belt-tightening — renegotiating contracts, reprioritizing initiatives, and finding operational efficiencies across executive agencies, while explicitly pledging not to raise taxes or cut K-12 funding.
The 2025 speech was forward-looking and proposal-heavy, touting Idaho's $4.6 billion in cumulative tax cuts and promising yet another round. The 2026 speech, by contrast, contains no new standalone state tax cut proposal; instead, Little frames future tax relief as conformity with President Trump's federal "One Big Beautiful Bill" tax cuts. The governor shifted from championing Idaho as a model for the nation to defend and preserve what had already been built, explicitly stating the plan was "carefully designed with strategy and foresight to protect what matters most."
Healthcare and rural communities emerged as major new themes in 2026. Little announced nearly $1 billion in federal investment over five years for rural healthcare accessibility and affordability, including $150 million for the rural healthcare workforce pipeline and $1 million for graduate medical education. These topics were entirely absent from the 2025 address. Similarly, nuclear energy and the Idaho National Laboratory's role in energy dominance received significant attention in 2026 alongside a visit from Energy Secretary Chris Wright, whereas INL was only briefly mentioned in 2025 in the context of cybersecurity.
The tone around federal partnerships also matured considerably. In 2025, Little expressed excitement about Trump's return and positioned Idaho as "ready to help." By 2026, he cited concrete collaborations — hosting Labor Secretary Chavez-DeRemer, HHS Secretary RFK Jr., and Energy Secretary Wright — and highlighted tangible programs like Operation No Return for immigration enforcement and Shared Stewardship agreements for wildfire and forest management. The relationship moved from aspirational to operational.
Notably, several 2025 priorities — including housing affordability, a new drug trafficking prosecutor for North Idaho, cybersecurity investments, wildland firefighter bonuses, and the explicit $50 million school choice expansion — disappeared from the 2026 address entirely, likely casualties of the constrained fiscal environment. The Code Cleanup Act and the recommendation to repeal 145,000 words from state law emerged as a signature new regulatory achievement in 2026, building on the deregulation narrative but in a more concrete, legislative form.
New Priorities in 2026
- +Rural healthcare access and affordability became a centerpiece, with nearly $1 billion in federal funds over five years, $150 million for rural healthcare workforce, and $1 million for graduate medical education.
- +Nuclear energy and energy dominance through the Idaho National Laboratory received significant emphasis, including hosting Energy Secretary Chris Wright and highlighting INL's role in national defense and competitiveness.
- +The Code Cleanup Act and Red Tape Rollback report recommended repealing 145,000 words from state law, moving deregulation efforts from executive rules to statutory reform.
- +The Make America Healthy Again initiative was highlighted, including restricting cell phone use in schools and eliminating candy and soda from the food stamp program, tied to hosting HHS Secretary RFK Jr.
- +Conformity with the Trump federal tax cuts from the 'One Big Beautiful Bill' replaced state-level tax cut proposals as the primary tax relief strategy.
- +Right-sizing funding for online schools with enhanced accountability was introduced as a budget measure.
- +Operation No Return was highlighted as a new formal immigration enforcement program removing illegal alien criminals from Idaho communities.
- +Shared Stewardship and Good Neighbor Authority federal partnerships for wildfire management and forest health through increased logging were specifically named.
Dropped from 2025
- −The proposed $100 million in new state tax relief was not repeated; tax relief was instead tied to federal Trump tax cuts.
- −The $50 million school choice expansion proposal for families with children with unique physical or developmental conditions was absent from 2026.
- −Housing affordability and workforce housing investments, including regulatory and permitting reforms to increase supply, received no mention in 2026.
- −Additional transportation funding and road/bridge investment proposals were not discussed in 2026.
- −Wildland firefighter hiring bonuses and fire suppression account funding were not mentioned despite being specific 2025 proposals.
- −The new drug trafficking prosecutor for North Idaho was not referenced in 2026.
- −Cybersecurity investments to defend against China and Russia were dropped as a standalone initiative.
- −Charter school expansion and the Empowering Parents grant program received no specific mention in 2026.
- −Crime reduction statistics (17 percent reduction, five-year low in violent crime) and broader community safety metrics were not highlighted.
Shifted Emphasis
- ↔Public school funding shifted from an expansionary posture ($150 million in new investments for facilities, mental health, safety, and literacy) to a protective posture focused on keeping schools 'whole' and shielding them from budget cuts during a revenue downturn.
- ↔The LAUNCH workforce program was maintained in both years but reframed from an expansion priority in 2025 to a program worth preserving despite fiscal constraints in 2026, with added emphasis on its alignment with Trump's national talent strategy.
- ↔The federal partnership with the Trump administration evolved from aspirational readiness in 2025 to documented, results-oriented collaboration in 2026, citing multiple cabinet secretary visits and specific joint programs.
- ↔Water infrastructure shifted from addressing a 'backlog of unfunded water projects' with new investment in 2025 to simply 'maintaining the water infrastructure investments we fought for last year' in 2026.
- ↔Deregulation shifted from touting Idaho as the least regulated state and a model for DOGE in 2025 to citing specific legislative accomplishments like Zero-Based Regulation codification and the Code Cleanup Act in 2026, with quantified savings of over $1 million.
- ↔The overall fiscal narrative shifted dramatically from surplus-driven generosity ('$4.6 billion given back') to budget austerity, with the governor acknowledging a 14 percent revenue forecast decline and emphasizing balanced budgets, AAA credit ratings, and spending restraint.
- ↔Women's sports shifted from celebrating the Boise State volleyball team's stand in 2025 to noting Idaho's case going before the U.S. Supreme Court in 2026, elevating it from a cultural moment to a constitutional legal battle.
Policy Topics Addressed
Affordability
Governor Little framed his budget around affordability, noting that conforming to Trump tax cuts would "put more money back in the pockets of Idaho's seniors and working families so they can afford the basics." He emphasized Idaho ranks third nationally for tax friendliness but acknowledged cost of living remains high. His ENDURING IDAHO plan balances the budget without tax increases despite a 14% revenue decrease, while protecting K-12 school funding.
Agriculture
Governor Little highlighted Idaho as first in the nation to ban candy and soda from SNAP, aligned with the Trump administration's health agenda. He emphasized the importance of water infrastructure investments for farmers and ranchers, noting the budget maintains these investments even during revenue challenges.
Economy & Jobs
Governor Little presented the ENDURING IDAHO budget plan, emphasizing fiscal discipline while protecting K-12 schools and conforming to Trump tax cuts. He highlighted Idaho's third-best tax friendliness ranking and lowest per-capita debt in the nation. He championed the LAUNCH workforce training program, noting post-secondary enrollment is rising in Idaho while declining nationally, and emphasized partnerships with the Trump administration on energy, nuclear, and regulatory reform.
Education
Governor Little emphasized education as his top priority even in a tight budget year, noting a 70% increase in state support for public schools during his tenure, significant teacher pay raises, and seven times more investment in literacy programs. He highlighted the LAUNCH workforce program as a key priority, noting post-secondary enrollment is bucking national declines, and proposed right-sizing online school funding while protecting classroom funding.
Environment & Energy
Governor Little celebrated Idaho National Laboratory's role in nuclear energy research under the Trump administration's nuclear resurgence, noting Energy Secretary Chris Wright's visit. He highlighted partnerships for wildfire prevention through Shared Stewardship and Good Neighbor Authority agreements for improved forest health through increased logging. He also mentioned the state's efforts to expand outdoor recreation access on public lands.
Government Reform
Governor Little highlighted making Idaho the least regulated state in the nation by cutting 95% of rules and regulations, and recommended repealing 145,000 words from state law through the 'Red Tape Rollback' report. He codified Zero-Based Regulation requiring routine review of rule chapters annually, and emphasized right-sizing spending through his 'ENDURING IDAHO' budget plan without raising taxes.
Healthcare
Governor Little noted that over the next five years, Idaho will invest nearly $1 billion in federal funds to improve rural healthcare accessibility and affordability, including more than $150 million to strengthen the healthcare workforce pipeline. He committed an additional $1 million for graduate medical education and emphasized the need for affordable healthcare as a top concern for Idahoans.
Housing
Governor Little did not make housing a significant focus of his address, instead concentrating on budget management, education, and workforce development.
Immigration
Governor Little highlighted "Operation No Return" through which Idaho State Police are removing "dangerous illegal alien criminals from our neighborhoods," including "child rapists, stalkers, violent offenders, kidnappers, and drug traffickers." He praised the partnership with the Trump administration on immigration enforcement as a key public safety measure.
Infrastructure
Governor Little emphasized Idaho's investments in roads, water, sewer systems, broadband, and state parks using one-time federal funds responsibly, noting the state has the lowest per-capita debt in the nation. He highlighted paying down debt and achieving AAA credit rating, and maintaining water infrastructure investments for farmers and ranchers in the ENDURING IDAHO budget plan.
Public Safety
Governor Little highlighted Operation No Return, through which Idaho State Police are removing dangerous illegal alien criminals from neighborhoods, citing examples of child rapists, stalkers, violent offenders, and drug traffickers. He praised the partnership with the Trump administration on immigration enforcement and stated Idaho is among the safest states in the nation because of Idaho State Police.
Social Services
Governor Little praised Idaho as one of the first states to get a waiver banning pop and energy drinks from SNAP and the first to require able-bodied adults to work before accessing welfare. He highlighted nearly $1 billion in federal rural healthcare funding over five years and maintained that K-12 school funding would be protected from budget cuts despite revenue challenges.
Tax & Budget
Governor Little presented his 'ENDURING IDAHO' budget plan to balance the budget after a 14% revenue decrease without raising taxes or cutting K-12 schools. He emphasized using a mix of one-time and ongoing spending reductions, maintaining the AAA credit rating, and positioning Idaho to conform to Trump tax cuts. He noted Idaho ranks third nationally in tax friendliness and highlighted the state's lowest per-capita debt in the nation.
Technology
Governor Little emphasized Idaho's role in nuclear energy through the Idaho National Laboratory, highlighting Energy Secretary Chris Wright's visit to celebrate INL's contributions to nuclear energy research, cybersecurity, and national defense. He noted INL's critical role in the nuclear energy resurgence under President Trump and in protecting critical systems from cyber threats.
Veterans & Military
Governor Little highlighted partnerships with the Trump administration on border security through Operation No Return, which involves Idaho State Police removing illegal aliens. He praised the Idaho National Laboratory's role in nuclear energy and national security, noting Energy Secretary Chris Wright's visit to celebrate INL's contributions to U.S. Navy missions and cyber defense.