COEUR d’ALENE — Protesters greeted Gov. Brad Little's visit Wednesday, opposing his office’s proposed cuts to Medicaid funding and other policy positions. 

More than 40 people lined Sherman Avenue in front of The Coeur d'Alene Resort late morning, while the governor addressed the business community inside. 

In the crowd were Post Falls resident Tara Mayers and her 4-year-old son, Zavier, who is disabled and has complex medical needs. 

“We’re here for my son, Zavier, and kids like him,” Tara Mayers said. “Between Medicaid cuts and cuts to education, it could limit his ability to be part of his society.”

Zavier has received Medicaid services, including home and community-based services, which are on the chopping block under Little’s proposal to cut $22 million from Medicaid funding next fiscal year. 

Home and community-based services cost about $176.5 million in state general funds, according to the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare. More than 16,400 Idahoans use these services, including case management, homemaker services, home health aides, adult day services, respite care and more, at least once a year. 

Zavier’s grandparents, Linda and John Mayers, also joined the protest. They moved to North Idaho to care for their grandson, with John going so far as to obtain certification to provide the specialized care he needs at home. Medicaid pays for this caregiving. 

“It’s not about a dollar in our pocket,” Linda Mayers said. “They don’t have enough licensed providers who can care for (Zavier). We need someone to be able to care for him.” 

Tara Mayers said having her father as a paid caregiver for Zavier allows her to work outside the home and support her son. 

She said she believes disabled Idahoans, whether children or adults, should have access to home- and community-based services that help them thrive. 

“Disabled adults are one of our most vulnerable groups of people,” she said. “We need to stand up and be their voice.” 

Coeur d’Alene resident David Bloem held a sign criticizing Little’s policies on public education. He said he opposes Idaho’s new $50 million tax credit program for students not enrolled in public schools, which Little signed into law last year. 

The new program allows Idaho families whose children are not enrolled in public schools to claim up to $5,000 — or up to $7,500 for students with special needs — in tax credits covering private school tuition and other education-related expenses, such as tutoring, homeschooling curricula, travel and more. 

“That money should be allocated to public schools,” Bloem said. “The whole point of private schools is that they pay for themselves.” 

In the afternoon, about two dozen protesters gathered outside the Coeur d’Alene Public Library, where Little fielded questions from reporters. Protesters held signs against the windows of the Community Room so they would be visible where Little addressed the media.

Many of the demonstrators carried signs criticizing Idaho House Bill 710, which established civil penalties for libraries and schools that allow children to access “harmful” material. Little signed the bill into law in 2024. 

Post Falls resident Michelle Lippert said the law has created an opportunity for Community Library Network trustees to pull books from shelves.

    Zavier Mayers, 4, accompanied his mother, Tara, and grandparents John and Linda to a protest Wednesday outside The Resort.