Giddings, Scott and Shephard did not respond to requests for comment.
Beth Oppenheimer, executive director of the Idaho Association for the Education of Young Children, was taken aback by the arguments.
After 10 years with the organization, Oppenheimer said she has “seen and heard it all” when it comes to child-care policy in Idaho. She was expecting the arguments against working moms.
“Every time we try to advance more efforts in regard to child care, licensing and regulations, we get, ‘The children should be at home with their mothers,’ ” Oppenheimer said.
But she was particularly taken aback at how lawmakers were using culture-war rhetoric to block a child-care grant.