January 30, 2025
UIARGONAUT.COM
FOR, OF AND BY THE STUDENTS SINCE 1898
Gay marriage to be challenged by Idaho
Trump’s federal funding fiasco causes confusion
Administration freezes federal grants, rescinds order Alison Cranney ARGONAUT
Connor Anderson | Argonaut
The Idaho State Capitol building lit up in pride colors for Boise Pride
Idaho Representative Heather Scott suggests states should have the power to regulate same-sex marriage, not supreme court Julia Kolman ARGONAUT
The Idaho House passed a resolution on Monday seeking to ban the federal right to gay marriage. The resolution, titled “House Joint Memorial 1,” aims specifically to overturn Obergefell v. Hodges. In 2015, the landmark Supreme Court case Obergefell v. Hodges legalized gay marriage nationwide. A decade later, arguments are taking place in the Idaho legislature that it should be overturned and the power to regulate and restrict marriage should remain with the states. Supporters of this resolution argue that it is constitutional to return this right to the states and to allow Idaho to make decisions regarding same-sex marriage. Democratic opposition argues that this is a gross overstepping of personal freedoms and individual rights, as the state government should not have a hand in consenting adults’ lives. Originally proposed at the beginning of January, the resolution has since been approved by the House floor in a 46-24 vote. All Democratic members opposed it as well as 15 Republicans, according to The Hill. It was initially advanced to the House in an overwhelming 13-2 vote.
During the initial hearing, resolution sponsor and State Representative Heather Scott gave her input regarding Obergefell, saying “What this decision did is it took the right away from the state to make the decision on marriage laws… Traditionally, that’s a state’s decision.” She argued that the resolution undermines the founding fathers’ vision for the United States “by declaring that citizens must seek dignity from the state.” In a comment to the Idaho Statesman, Democratic Party leaders said, “This is yet another example of the extreme wing of the Republican Party ginning up divisive social issues in order to create problems where none exist. Big government has no business telling consenting adults who they should love.” They added, “[This resolution] should be offensive to all Idahoans who value their individual rights and freedoms and just want to live their lives without egregious government interference.” As discussed in The Columbian, Idaho’s 2006 ban on same-sex marriage is still on record, supported by 63% percent of voters at the time of approval. In 2014, an Idaho federal judge ruled the state’s restriction was unconstitutional, violating the due process clause before the Obergefell decision broke a year later. A 2024 Gallup article showed that support for marriage equality polled at 69% last year. This is only 2% lower than the record-high levels of support for the issue in 2022 and 2023.
The White House temporarily put a stop to all federal grants and loans earlier this week. Knowledge of the order went live on Jan. 27, went into effect Jan. 28, and has since been rescinded as of Jan. 29. Despite only surviving a couple days, the freeze put a halt to trillions of dollars. It affected programs such as education initiatives and nonprofits, according to the Associated Press. The administration claimed that programs such as food stamps and Medicaid would not be affected. However, a handful of states claimed access to Medicaid had indeed been cut, contradicting the administration’s statement. New York Attorney General Letitia James maintained that New York and at least 20 other states had been denied access to the Medicaid payment system, according to Reuters News. Trump’s Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a White House brief that the pause was meant to force federally funded organizations to review and adjust their spending to align with Trump’s presidential directives. This is expected to mostly inhibit spending on Democratic priorities such as LGBTQ+ rights and diversity, equity and inclusion organizations. “If they feel that programs are necessary and in line with the president’s agenda, then the Office of Management and Budget will review those policies,” said Leavitt. Despite the freeze being rescinded, it is still expected that the Trump administration will continue with its efforts to review and adjust federal spending. Various states, nonprofits and small businesses filed lawsuits against the White House in response to the order. Plaintiffs include the Main Street Alliance and the American Public Health Association, according to one official complaint document. The complaint requested a temporary order of restraint to prevent the order from going into effect and declared the memo unlawful and unconstitutional. Many students scrambled to make sense of the order as it was uncertain if federal student aid and scholarships would be impacted. While the memo stated that “assistance provided directly to individuals” would not be affected, the inconsistency in claims between the White House and states left college students concerned before the freeze was lifted.
Opinion
Argonaut’s independence preserved The Argonaut works for you, not for UI Editorial Board ARGONAUT
On Thursday, Jan. 16, staff members of The Argonaut, KUOI, Blot and University Avenue Agency received an email from the University of Idaho Dean of Students’ office with a stop work order, effective immediately. As we investigated this order, it appeared that nobody knew where it had come from, including the Dean of Students himself, Blaine Eckles. The Argonaut has proudly been an independent news organization since its founding in 1898. We are funded by student fees and our own advertising revenue. However, we were informed last fall that starting this semester, UI would be moving The Argonaut staff to university employees, questionably putting us under university control. This was far from the independence we value. This was far from the university’s claims of protecting free speech. According to Eckles, these changes came about due to high turnover in various departments last semester, where new HR employees did not understand the different classifications between News, 1
Life, 4
Sports, 6
Opinion, 8
Gallery, 12
Student Media and other jobs on campus. In our self-initiated discussions with university administrators, we were assured that the change in our payment system and the stop work order had nothing to do with restricting our freedom as a press. Unfortunately, we cannot be sure that will always be the case, which is why we felt strongly about remaining independent contractors. It is not only important to us, but important for future generations of Argonaut staff members who should be able to report on important issues without worries regarding their payroll. The stop work order caused a lot of outrage and concern among Student Media members for a multitude of reasons. The breaking point was when our Student Media Advisor, our main channel for updates on employment, was prohibited from speaking to Student Media employees during this period. The Student Press Law Center has warned about the risks of student media organizations coming under the discretion of universities and becoming traditional employees for a long time. Such moves could force student journalists to disclose private information and records of anonymous sources, or prohibit them from reporting on any educational matters vaguely deemed “education records” under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.
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Connor Anderson | Argonaut University of Idaho
Volume 126, Issue no. 6
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