<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:m="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2004/12/omml" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40">
<head>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=us-ascii">
<meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 15 (filtered medium)">
<!--[if !mso]><style>v\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
o\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
w\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
.shape {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
</style><![endif]--><style><!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Calibri;
panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:"Open Sans";}
/* Style Definitions */
a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:#0563C1;
text-decoration:underline;}
p.MsoNoSpacing, li.MsoNoSpacing, div.MsoNoSpacing
{mso-style-priority:1;
margin:0in;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;}
span.EmailStyle17
{mso-style-type:personal-compose;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
color:windowtext;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;}
@page WordSection1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
--></style><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapedefaults v:ext="edit" spidmax="1026" />
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapelayout v:ext="edit">
<o:idmap v:ext="edit" data="1" />
</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]-->
</head>
<body lang="EN-US" link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72" style="word-wrap:break-word">
<div class="WordSection1">
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family:"Open Sans""><img width="624" height="147" style="width:6.5in;height:1.5347in" id="_x0000_i1025" src="cid:image001.jpg@01D7112D.05C38860" alt="Graphical user interface, application
Description automatically generated"></span><span style="font-family:"Open Sans""><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family:"Open Sans""> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family:"Open Sans"">FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family:"Open Sans"">March 4, 2021<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family:"Open Sans""><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><u><span style="font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"Open Sans"">Biden, Democrat-led Congress seek to punish responsible states like Idaho<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family:"Open Sans""><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align:center"><i><span style="font-family:"Open Sans"">By Governor Brad Little<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family:"Open Sans""><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in"><span style="font-family:"Open Sans"">Our new president and the Democrat-led Congress are seeking to bail out big, poorly-managed states and punish states that have operated responsibly during the pandemic –
a step that would saddle Idaho children with even greater debt and suppress economic prosperity for generations to come.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family:"Open Sans""><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in"><span style="font-family:"Open Sans"">Idaho won’t stand for it.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family:"Open Sans""><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in"><a href="https://governor.sc.gov/news/2021-02/22-governors-oppose-biased-fund-allocation-stimulus-package"><span style="font-family:"Open Sans"">I joined 21 other governors</span></a><span style="font-family:"Open Sans"">
last week in pushing back on a proposal that would reward big states on lockdown and punish states like Idaho for staying open during the pandemic.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family:"Open Sans""><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in"><span style="font-family:"Open Sans"">President Joe Biden’s COVID-19 relief bill is rooted in a
</span><a href="https://republicans-budget.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Biden-Bailout-Bill-State-Funding-Formula-Impact.pdf"><span style="font-family:"Open Sans"">biased formula</span></a><span style="font-family:"Open Sans""> based on unemployment
figures, not overall population. The plan rewards states experiencing “negative economic impacts.” States with the most people out of work and the most poorly performing economies receive more taxpayer dollars.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family:"Open Sans""><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in"><span style="font-family:"Open Sans"">That means a quarter of a billion dollars of Idahoans’ federal taxes would subsidize states that have kept people out of work! States such as California, New York, New Jersey,
Illinois, and others would get more than their fair share under Biden’s plan.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family:"Open Sans""><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in"><span style="font-family:"Open Sans"">As the other governors and I put it, the proposal "punishes states that took a measured approach to the pandemic and entered the crisis with healthy state budgets and strong
economies. A state’s ability to keep businesses open and people employed should not be a penalizing factor when distributing funds.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family:"Open Sans""><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in"><span style="font-family:"Open Sans"">Idaho has the strongest economy of all 50 states. We have the most financially solvent state budget. With a historic record budget surplus, we are poised to provide tax relief
and make strategic investments in transportation, education, water, broadband, and other critical areas. We have low unemployment. We had the biggest increase in personal income compared to other states. We saw the largest increase in business formation over
the past year compared to other states. And we are the least regulated state in the nation.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family:"Open Sans""><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in"><span style="font-family:"Open Sans"">Idaho is a leading state for our share of vaccine doses administered. We are among only a handful of states with the fewest COVID-19 restrictions because our businesses,
schools, and churches have remained open longer than almost every other state while we have managed to prevent a crisis in our hospitals. We distributed most of our federal coronavirus relief funds in direct support of Idaho citizens and businesses through
tax relief and grants.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family:"Open Sans""><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in"><span style="font-family:"Open Sans"">The COVID-19 pandemic has been nothing short of a tragedy. The disease has already taken the lives of close to 2,000 of our fellow Idahoans and landed many more in the hospital.
We have sacrificed together and endured hardship together. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family:"Open Sans""><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in"><span style="font-family:"Open Sans"">So why is Idaho being asked to subsidize irresponsible states that are experiencing increased virus spread despite keeping business, schools, and churches shut down? Why
should Idaho be penalized for making hard decisions to keep our economy open and kids in school? The states that did neither are being rewarded.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family:"Open Sans""><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in"><span style="font-family:"Open Sans"">Why are we asked to subsidize states with unfunded pension funds, underfunded unemployment funds, and poorly managed budgets? Why should Idaho be penalized for the strength
of our economy, when our citizens and communities worked hard to adapt to new challenges? Very unfair.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family:"Open Sans""><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in"><span style="font-family:"Open Sans"">Any future federal relief funds should be allocated fairly to states, and I will push for those funds to directly invest in our children and grandchildren, since the burden
of paying off the federal debt will be on their shoulders.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family:"Open Sans""><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in"><span style="font-family:"Open Sans"">Idaho is showing the rest of the country how to responsibly get through this once-in-a-lifetime pandemic – by prioritizing the protection of both lives AND livelihoods. Idaho’s
congressional delegation and I will continue to fight for what’s fair and right for Idaho.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family:"Open Sans""><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="font-family:"Open Sans""># # #<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="font-family:"Open Sans""><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><i><span style="font-family:"Open Sans"">590 words</span></i><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
</body>
</html>