Wyoming Freedom Caucus wants to cut state budget, but won’t say how much yet

CHEYENNE—Wyoming Freedom Caucus lawmakers are determined to shrink the state’s budget in the 2026 legislative session, but where and how deep they will cut remains to be seen. 

“We’re going to do everything we can to limit the growth of government, so it does not outpace your paychecks,” House Appropriations Chairman Rep. John Bear, R-Gillette, said Friday at a press conference in the Capitol rotunda.

Bear, a Freedom Caucus member who previously chaired the group of Republicans, said they are “setting some targets” and have their eye on pre-pandemic spending levels.

“And I’ll just be very general about those targets because we’re going to have to look at a lot of different parts of the budget,” he said. 

In April, the caucus announced it would take inspiration from the Trump administration’s efforts to cut federal jobs and spending by “DOGE-ing Wyoming’s budget.”

Those efforts have since included scrutinizing the Wyoming Department of Health’s budget — which accounts for a larger piece of the pie than any other state agency — via a newly formed subcommittee. 

“Wyoming is headed toward an impending fiscal cliff that is caused by what I believe is unsustainable spending,” Sheridan Republican Rep. Ken Pendergraft said in September at the subcommittee’s first of five meetings. 

But until this week, lawmakers were working with an incomplete picture of Wyoming’s financial footing. On Thursday morning, state officials presented their latest revenue forecast, also known as the CREG report, to the Joint Appropriations Committee, which provided greater detail. 

While the report reiterated the volatility of Wyoming’s revenue streams, it did not indicate an imminent bust, like that of 2017 or 2021, when lawmakers were forced to make tough decisions. Rather, it announced a budgetary first for the state — Wyoming’s investment portfolio brought in a record $1.86 billion in earnings, surpassing other revenues from the mineral industry. 

Even so, now, while the state isn’t under the gun, is the time to cut spending, Freedom Caucus lawmakers said Thursday. 

“That’s what conservative is,” Pendergraft said. “Conservative means you’re going to live within your means. You’re going to live beneath your means, so that when things turn bad, you don’t have to turn around and find yourself in trouble.”

Many Wyoming residents are already struggling, including those dealing with steep property taxes, as was mentioned at Thursday’s press conference. Meanwhile, the federal government shutdown is shutting out those who rely on SNAP benefits to buy groceries and heating assistance to stay warm in the colder months. 

(Gov. Mark Gordon declared a public welfare emergency Friday ahead of SNAP benefits lapsing over the weekend in order to send emergency funds to charitable organizations and churches.)

While crafting the state’s budget has long been cause for contentious debate, it’s been a particularly fraught endeavor for lawmakers in recent years. In an unprecedented move earlier this year, the Senate refused to pass a supplemental budget. In 2024, the budget passed the upper chamber by just two votes after most Freedom Caucus members and allies voted against it in the House.

Asked how confident he was in the Legislature’s ability to pass a budget in the 2026 session, Bear said, “that’s a legitimate concern.”

“Two things to remember. One is that we have a constitutional responsibility to get that done, and so we really, literally can’t go home until we get that done,” Bear said. 

Second, Bear said, “I took the lack of a budget coming out of last session very seriously,” adding that communication breakdowns and subpar negotiations pushed him to improve relationships between the two chambers. 

“So that’s the way I’m handling it on an interpersonal level, but in the end, we really can’t go home until the end,” Bear said. “We really can’t go home until we have a budget for the state of Wyoming, and I wouldn’t want to.”

Response 

A few Appropriations Committee members stuck around the Capitol after their meeting to hear what their colleagues had to say at the press conference. That included Devils Tower Republican Sen. Ogden Driskill, a rival of the caucus. 

Asked what he made of the Freedom Caucus’ commitment to cuts, Driskill said he’d have to wait to hear the specifics. 

“It’s easy to talk about motherhood and apple pie right up to the time that you get to the details. So until we see details, we really don’t know,” Driskill said. “I want efficient government. I want a small government. And if they can find places that we can tighten up, or there’s waste, fraud and abuse, I support them with that.”

RELATED

Wyoming’s investment portfolio surpasses mineral industry’s contribution to state coffers

Wyoming lawmakers scrutinize Health Department ahead of budget session

However, Driskill said, he has concerns that “they’re going to cut ourselves into a budget crisis.”

In his opening remarks at the press conference, Pendergraft said the job of an appropriator requires one “to take the emotion out of things.”

“I’m very much the opposite,” Laramie Democrat Rep. Trey Sherwood told WyoFile. “The whole reason I ran was to be a public servant for our community. And when I look at our budget, I look at, ‘What does that mean for our hard-working friends and neighbors? What does that mean for our families?’ It’s not just a number on a page.”

Sherwood also pointed to the state’s record-breaking investment earnings as a cause for celebration. 

“It’s such a massive turning point,” she said. 

“Wyoming has set itself up to both weather the boom and bust, but to cover the cost of essential services from investment income,” Sherwood said. “And what does that mean? That means we don’t have to raise taxes.”

The caucus didn’t provide a timeline for releasing its budget plans, while the budget hearings start the first week in December. The session itself begins Feb. 9 in Cheyenne.