BOISE, Idaho — On Wednesday, Idaho lawmakers, Senator Brian Lenney (R - Canyon County) and Representative Josh Tanner (R - Ada County) sent a letter to Idaho Department of Health and Welfare Director Juliet Charron, requesting that the agency pause "$14 million childcare appropriation authorized under Senate Bill 1206 (FY 2026), pending implementation of enhanced program-integrity and fraud-prevention safeguards."
The republican legislators cite the recent controversy regarding daycare fraud in Minnesota as the primary reason for the pause. "In light of these developments, and concerns raised regarding potential vulnerabilities within Idaho programs, proceeding with additional disbursements without strengthened safeguards would present unnecessary risk to taxpayers," reads the letter.
In the letter, they provide no evidence of fraudulent activity surrounding the childcare grants in question.
Towards the end of the letter, they ask that the department suspend "disbursements authorized under Senate Bill 1206 until fraud-prevention measures are implemented." They concede that fraud prevention measures would have to be developed by Health & Welfare officials. In closing, they ask that Health & Welfare respond to their request by Jan. 10.
"We remain committed to working collaboratively with the Department to protect taxpayer funds while ensuring Idaho families continue to receive access to legitimate, high-quality childcare services," concludes the letter.
