I was on the short end of a 392-37 vote last week on a budget-busting Medicare bill that adds at least  $141 billion to our deficit. Casting my “no” vote on H.R. 2 should have been easy. It’s consistent with one of the most important promises I’ve made to Idahoans: to fight at every turn to reduce our $18.1 trillion federal debt. But tucked into this massive Medicare spending bill is an unrelated provision extending funding for the Secure Rural Schools (SRS) program. Passed as a stop-gap to replace lost revenue from declining timber harvests on federal lands, SRS provides support to local government and schools in 35 Idaho counties. Rural counties are especially dependent on these funds. I have long advocated a lasting replacement for SRS. More here.

Question: Did ideology & principle trump common sense in Labrador's vote?