House Votes to Keep University Budget Cuts
On Wednesday Feb 18, the Wyoming House doubled down on its heavily controversial proposal to axe the University of Wyoming’s budget for the upcoming school year, which will successfully remove up to $40 million.
Representative Ken Chestek (D-Laramie) introduced an amendment to restore the $40 million to UW’s block grant. After nearly 100 minutes of heated debate, the House rejected it with a 26–34 vote.
Representative John Bear (R-Gillette), who has been a major defender of the budget cuts, directly connected the cuts to the schools refusal to follow legislative “directives” regarding diversity and curriculum:
“That was just because we hadn’t gotten their attention with some of the other things that we’ve done in the past. So [we’re] trying to get their attention.”
He had also argued that the university has moved away from its core mission as a land grant institution:
“We’re living in an age where the universities across the nation are going further and further away from what a land-grant university’s really designed to do.” -Representative John Bear
Other supporters of the budget cuts argued that Wyoming families and businesses are tightening their belts due to inflation, and that the university should do the same.They also pointed to what they call “administrative bloat,” claiming the student-to-staff ratio is unsustainable.
Lawmakers who attempted to argue that using the cut to punish a state institution can set a dangerous precedent.
Representative Mike Yin (D-Jackson), the Minority Floor Leader, characterized the cuts as arbitrary, saying that, “The argument in favor of the cuts was basically, ‘They aren’t doing what we think they should be doing, so let’s give them a $40 million cut.’ All we want to do is tell them ‘we don’t like what you’re doing, so let’s pick a [number].'”
Currently, there is a “Two Budgets” issue with the states Senate and House budget, with the senate having voted to restore almost everything denied by the House’s budget. This would include the $40 million for the university and the funding for Wyoming Public Media.They view the House’s cuts as “punitive and retaliatory.”
Sen. Tara Nethercott (R-Cheyenne) and other members of the senate were deeply concerned with the decisions made thus far by the committee.
“The sponsor of that [Driskill’s] amendment, and the people of Wyoming, have spoken. And they said fund our future,” said Nethercott. “And they said fund our only state university. They said these cuts were punitive and retaliatory.”
The House however, is sticking to the deep cuts and has even added “footnotes” (legal strings attached to the money) that would ban UW from using state funds for things like “woke education” or elective abortions for students.
UW President Ed Seidel and Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon have pushed back on the decisions made by the house, publicly sharing their disapproval. Seidel broke his usual policy of refraining from engaging in commentary regarding legislative politics to warn students and staff that the cuts would lead to layoffs and program closures.
“A cut of this magnitude would mean a reduction in programs that students choose and services the state relies on… It would cause damage that will last years.”
Governor Gordon also commented on the House’s aggressive stance, saying that they are just “cutting to cut”, warning that ideological cuts often ignore practical consequences:
“This episode stands as a cautionary tale of what can happen when policy becomes a political exercise in ‘cutting just to cut,’ rather than an exercise in governing with a full understanding of the consequences.” — Gov. Mark Gordon (Op-ed, Feb 2026)
The two versions of the budget are now heading to a Joint Conference Committee (5 Senators and 5 House members).
The 10 members of this Compromise Committee are senators Tim Salazar (R-Riverton), Mike Gierau (D-Jackson), Dan Laursen (R-Powell), Ogden Driskill (R-Devils Tower), Tim French (R-Powell), and representatives John Bear (R-Gillette), Bill Allemand (R-Midwest), Abby Angelos (R-Gillette), Jeremy Haroldson (R-Wheatland), and Trey Sherwood (D-Laramie).
This group will meet behind closed doors to hammer out a compromise.
