A few days ago, Idaho Speaker of the House Mike Moyle tried to cosplay as a fiscal hawk on X.
Conservatives were having exactly none of it.
And you love to see it.
Let’s add some context. Last week, Idaho Gov. Brad Little announced a plan to cut state agency budgets by 3% due to slumping state revenues. Politicians and activists quickly jumped out to give their hot takes on the news, but none was worse than Moyle’s unbelievably dishonest X post.
Moyle is no fiscal hawk and he never has been. The Idaho Spending Index, the only scorecard that measures lawmakers’ fiscal votes, finds the Speaker, well, lacking.
Keep in mind that Moyle scored below 25% in what some weirdly believe was the most conservative session in the state’s history. Yet, the government continued to grow as lawmakers passed mostly performative virtue-signaling bills.
Right now, this is Moyle’s legacy, and he’s desperately trying to recast himself as something he’s not. Government has grown more than 60% through the past 6 years, adding billions of dollars to the state’s budget annually.
Here’s where the rubber meets the road: Mike Moyle has been in state government since 1998. He has been in leadership since December 2006.
Moyle either grew government, or did nothing as it ballooned out of control. Which is it? And which is worse?
Luckily, Idaho X has no problem mocking Moyle for this dishonest rebrand attempt. Below are some of the best responses to the Speaker’s X post.
Getting right to the point:
Accountability is tough:
To be clear, the speaker doesn’t sponsor budget bills, but he plays a large – outsized, even – role in deciding what gets spent and what doesn’t. Some might be tempted to give Moyle a pass because he occasionally votes against bad budget bills, but that’s an incomplete understanding of his role and record. It might not be an understatement to suggest that Moyle controls the legislative calendar each year. He should be judged accordingly.
Voters haven’t forgotten, Mr. Speaker:
Maybe Moyle thought voters would forget that he sought a 43% pay hike for lawmakers. Memories are long, and Moyle will be held accountable for this.
Lawmakers ultimately gave themselves a 22% pay hike, adding another $500,000 annually to the state budget. Sure, that’s a drop in the bucket in relation to the whole budget, but things add up.
Don’t Pass the Buck:
Passing the buck is never a good look. The Speaker needs to own his record.
Taxes are the problem:
Moyle has blocked grocery tax repeal more than 30 times on the House floor. Many of these loyalists continue to defend the three-legged stool of tax policy. Suffice it to say, team Moyle isn’t interested in promoting big, bold spending cuts, but simply reordering Titanic deck chairs.
There is a Solution:
In his original message, Moyle promised to cut spending next year. We’ll believe it when we see it. He couldn’t defund the $80 million free college program in the 2025 session. Idaho still funds a Hispanic commission. Idaho still gives free healthcare to single, able-bodied adults.
It’s put up or shut up time for Moyle and his band of loyalists. If Moyle manages to defund Launch, repeal Medicaid expansion, and cut government in a bold way, I’ll be first in line to sing his praises. But not one moment before then.