BOISE, ID – The state of Idaho is cutting tuition assistance benefits available to Idaho National Guard soldiers and airmen by more than 25% due to state budget cuts implemented in response to revenue shortfalls, officials said Thursday.
To comply with statewide 3% budget cuts ordered by Gov. Brad Little, the Idaho Military Division is cutting tuition assistance funding available through the State Education Assistance Program by $185,900 in fiscal year 2027, according to budget documents reviewed during Thursday’s meeting of the Idaho Legislature’s Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee, or JFAC.
The Idaho Military Division also has plans to cut the state’s match for federal funding for FEMA’s Emergency Preparation and Response grants and for Army and National Guard cooperative agreements, a state budget analyst said.
JFAC is a powerful legislative committee that sets every budget for every state agency and department.
For the current state budget, Idaho provided $650,0000 for tuition assistance, budget documents show. Reducing that funding by $185,900 represents a cut of nearly 29%.
Maj. Gen. Timothy J. Donnellan, Idaho adjutant general and commander of the Idaho National Guard, told JFAC members that tuition assistance programs are an extremely popular benefit that helps recruit National Guard members and give them an incentive to remain in Idaho.
Donnellan told JFAC members the Idaho Military Division can absorb the current cuts to the tuition assistance, but he said he does not think he can cut the benefits deeper.
“We had to reduce that amount that we are offering to our soldiers and airmen who enlist,” Donnellan said Thursday. “That’s a very critical function, by statute, that we offer that for our new enlistees. Many of our enlistees join the National Guard (because) one, they want to stay in Idaho but two, because Idaho offers this state education assistance. So we’ve had to reduce that fund. I am concerned if we were to reduce it further that we would break faith with our soldiers and airmen who have enlisted.”
The $185,000 cut to tuition assistance was made to comply with Little’s 3% state budget cuts.
New this week, JFAC leaders have asked all state agencies to submit plans by Friday for additional new budget cuts of up to 2% for the current fiscal year 2026 and fiscal year 2027.
The new cuts could bring the total impact of the budget cuts up to 5% for most state agencies and programs, which several state legislators worried could lead to furloughs for state employees.
The Idaho Military Division has until Friday to submit plans for the additional new budget cuts, and it was not immediately clear Thursday which programs could be affected by plans for new cuts.
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