The Weekly Political Potato: January 27 – February 2, 2025
It's REEFER MADNESS as pro-weed group and their IFF partners pick a fight with the Speaker over a minor legislative pay increase.
This week in Idaho politics, House Speaker Mike Moyle rolled out major tax cut proposals, the fight over Medicaid Expansion repeal intensified, and the Idaho Freedom Foundation (IFF) doubled down on its alliance with the pro-marijuana legalization group Young Americans for Liberty (YAL)—now calling itself the American Action Fund. But the biggest takeaway? The power struggle between Ron & Maria Nate and House Speaker Mike Moyle’s new Idaho Freedom Caucus faction ("Moyle's Loyals") isn’t letting up, and the fractures on the far-right are growing deeper.
Political Hot Potatoes of the Week
Speaker Moyle’s Tax Cut Proposal
House Speaker Mike Moyle (R-Star) introduced a sweeping tax cut plan that would lower the state’s top income tax rate from 5.8% to 5.3% and increase the homeowner property tax exemption from $125,000 to $175,000. While tax cuts are always a crowd-pleaser, critics argue that these reductions primarily benefit high-income earners while providing only marginal relief to the average Idaho homeowner.
With education, infrastructure, and healthcare already underfunded, some legislators are questioning whether Idaho can afford yet another round of tax cuts that primarily benefit the wealthiest residents.
Medicaid Expansion Repeal Gains Momentum
Despite strong voter approval in 2018, far-right legislators continue their push to repeal Medicaid Expansion, claiming costs are out of control. This conveniently ignores the fact that the program has saved Idaho counties millions in indigent care costs and brought over $1 billion in federal funding into the state’s healthcare system.
Rep. Josh Tanner, who got elected with the help of IFF’s political machine is listed as the contact for HB58—a bill scored +8 by IFF’s so called “Freedom Index” showing just how badly they want legislators to vote for this bill. IFF desperately needs a win and IFF’s President Ron Nate has been trying to repeal Medicaid expansion for years.
It looks like IFF doesn’t care about helping anyone except their wealthy secret donors who fund their six figure salary.
Culture Wars Take Priority over Idahoan’s Actual Needs
More performative legislation was run this past week including bills against common core CRT DEI, banning mask mandates, and an effort to prosecute Dr. Fauci for offending social media users. There is a long list of useless bills that are being pushed ahead of fixing taxation issues, infrastructure, and funding public education.
And then there was Rep. Heather Scott’s HJM-1. It was designed force legislators to publicly declare their opposition to same-sex marriage by petitioning SCOTUS to revisit Obergefell v. Hodges. It’s less about policy and more about signaling to families of LGBTQ+ Idahoans that their loved ones don’t belong. Adding to the absurdity, Scott didn’t even write the resolution herself—it was drafted by an anti-LGBTQ+ bill mill dedicated to criminalizing personal liberty and identity.
House Bill 94: Voter Registration Citizenship Verification
House Bill 94 aims to block voter registration processing for individuals whose citizenship status cannot be confirmed. Proponents argue that this measure is necessary to ensure the integrity of elections. With a wave of anti-immigration hysteria around the country, Idaho lawmakers seem to be tripping over themselves to find new ways to show how much they want to make life harder for anyone who does not look like them.
Rotten Potato of the Week
The Idaho Freedom Foundation (IFF) and Young Americans for Liberty (YAL) tried—and failed—to bully legislators into rejecting a modest pay raise recommended by a bipartisan citizens committee. In the process, they exposed the growing fracture between Ron & Maria Nate’s faction and House Speaker Mike Moyle’s “Moyle’s Loyals.”
IFF, doubling down on its alliance with pro-marijuana legalization group YAL, labeled conservative legislators "traitors" for refusing to back their months-long rejection scheme. Meanwhile, their latest stunt—hiring Rachel Hazlip as a policy analyst—has raised eyebrows, given that IFF and YAL spent six figures trying to unseat Moyle with Hazlip in the District 10 primary.
But Moyle isn’t budging. He continues to block IFF’s legislative agenda, including their Grocery Tax repeal push, making it clear this is no longer just a policy fight—it’s an all-out power struggle.
What Were They Thinking? Award: The YAL/IFF/MVLA Meat Puppets
This week also exposed just how deeply IFF seems to controls certain legislators—particularly those who are part of the Magic Valley Liberty Alliance (MVLA) team.
IFF and YAL poured significant resources into ensuring that a bloc of candidates—including Rep. Clint Hostetler, Rep. Dave Leavitt, and Sen. Josh Kohl—got installed in office. Their loyalty was never to the voters—it was to IFF, YAL, and the dark money donors funding them.
State Freedom Caucus Network Director Maria Nate, the puppet master behind IFF’s agenda, is now openly coaching legislators on social media, even appearing in videos directing the show—literally picking up Rep. Leavitt’s dropped phone mid-recording.
The reality for Idaho voters? They didn’t elect independent thinkers; they elected IFF mouthpieces serving the same pro-marijuana legalization donors who bankrolled their campaigns. This isn’t about representing constituents—it’s about consolidating power and keeping IFF’s grip on Idaho’s legislature. And much like the weed funding it, the whole thing stinks.
What’s Next?
This week showed that Idaho’s far-right isn’t just at war with Democrats or moderates—it’s at war with itself.
IFF vs. Moyle’s Loyals continues to heat up, with each side making calculated moves to undermine the other.
Medicaid Expansion repeal remains a looming threat to Idaho’s healthcare system, driven by legislators more loyal to IFF than their own constituents.
Pay raises for State Employees continues to get kicked down the road because IFF’s obedient legislators cares more about a room for lobbyists in the capital instead of ensuring that families who work hard to ensure the state provides the services you pay for with your taxes get a basic pay raise, just like anyone working for a private company.
Stay tuned—this fight is just getting started, and there are plenty more potatoes left to peel.
Disclaimer
The following is intended to convey an opinion on newsworthy events of public concern regarding public figures and/or public officials in exercising their official duties. No implications or inferences—beyond those explicitly stated in the preceding— are intended to be conveyed or endorsed by the Author. Wherever available, hyperlinks have been provided to allow readers to directly access any underlying assertions of fact upon which this opinion is based.
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I think Walter Lippmann presaged our legislature (likely the US Congress, as well) when he said, "Where all think alike, no one thinks much."
Well, that’s what you get when you install a bunch of idiots in the legislature who are only there to occupy seats for the IFF. In my district, we ran a stellar candidate with years of experience in the medical field. She wanted the job and campaigned tirelessly to prove it. She ran rings around her opponent in candidates forums. But being Idaho, guess who won?
Until we bring in serious minded, intelligent, independent candidates, we’ll be doomed to more of these time-wasting antics from petty, petulant toddlers.