OH, MAN

Idaho Republican Complains: Early Education Makes It Easier for Moms to ‘Come Out of the Home’

Rep. Charlie Shephard said he couldn’t possibly vote for any bill that “makes it easier or more convenient for mothers to come out of the home.”

Did he really say this out loud? A state representative in Idaho brazenly explained his reasoning for voting against accepting state funds to help prepare kids for kindergarten on Tuesday—it would, God forbid, make it possible for moms to leave the house more often. The absurdly tone-deaf statement came from Rep. Charlie Shepherd—a Republican—who was testifying against a bill that would allow Idaho’s education board to use nearly $6 million in federal grants to extend early childhood education. According to KTVB, Shepherd said: “I don’t think anybody does a better job than mothers in the home, and any bill that makes it easier or more convenient for mothers to come out of the home and let others raise their child, I don’t think that’s a good direction for us to be going.” Shepherd’s official bio states that he’s married with four children.