SEATTLE—On February 13, Governor Bob Ferguson, Attorney General Nick Brown, and other state officials held a press conference in Olympia to “update” Washingtonians on “federal funding impacts and Washington’s response to President Trump’s executive orders.”
Although federal courts blocked the Trump administration’s “funding freeze”, it has reportedly still taken effect within some jurisdictions, including the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Health and Human Services. This has prompted further lawsuits against the Trump administration.
Opening the press conference, Governor Ferguson dove into the numbers. “Currently, as of this morning… $162 million in federal funds are frozen that we’re aware of,” he stated. The majority of this money was to be allocated to the Solar For All program; while the Washington State Standard reported on Monday that this frozen funding had been restored, Ferguson said that the program was “re-frozen this [Thursday] morning… we’re literally changing our speaking points in real time.”
Ferguson also mentioned a directive issued by Attorney General Pam Bondi “declaring that sanctuary jurisdictions can lose access to federal law enforcement funding,” as well as recent Department of Justice lawsuits against the “sanctuary states” of New York and Illinois. While Washington receives federal funding from the Department of Justice, Ferguson believes that “those funds are not impacted by this directive.”
The Governor then highlighted five issues that he and Attorney General Brown referred to as “state values.”
Firstly, Ferguson spoke about protecting “reproductive freedom and healthcare for transgender individuals”, insisting that local medical guidelines would not be impacted by any federal shift in policy. “When it comes to healthcare, Washington will be guided by doctors, not politicians,” Ferguson said, to an approving nod from Brown. “We’ve seen the consequences when states do not follow these principles. Doctors are afraid they’ll be prosecuted for treating their patients. A majority of Americans don’t want the government deciding what kind of treatment they or their loved ones can receive.”
Next, Ferguson addressed the hot-button issue of DEI – Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. He stated that his governorship would “continue to use state dollars to promote anti-racism”, but acknowledged the possibility of “some federal funding” for diversity programs being eliminated.
Governor Ferguson also discussed possible “threats to Muslim-Americans” posed by the federal government. He and Attorney General Brown have both consistently and vocally criticized the first Trump administration’s attempted 2017 “Muslim ban”, or Executive Order 13769.
Ferguson suggested that the travel ban would return in a “revamped” form, quoting comments Trump made in September at an Israeli-American Council event. “I will ban refugee resettlement from terror-infested areas like the Gaza Strip,” Trump stated at that time. “We will seal our border and bring back the travel ban. Remember the famous travel ban? We didn’t take people from certain areas of the world.”
Citing the Keep Washington Working Act, Ferguson doubled down on his commitment that “state and local resources” would not be used as part of the Trump administration’s crackdown on undocumented immigrants. He described the Act as beneficial not only to the state economy, but to statewide law enforcement: “We cannot afford to divert scarce law enforcement resources away from solving crimes and making our communities safer.”
Regarding the Department of Justice’s actions against “sanctuary jurisdictions”, Ferguson spoke against the Trump administration’s classification of all undocumented immigrants as criminal offenders. “It’s one thing if the President wants to invest additional resources in deportation actions against undocumented Washingtonians who commit serious crimes,” Ferguson said. “However, the overwhelming majority of undocumented residents of our state, and every other state for that matter, are decent, hard-working, law-abiding residents who contribute significantly to our economy and our communities.”
Finally, Ferguson addressed “threats to clean energy jobs.” The Trump administration has outwardly rejected the international shift towards renewable energy and climate change mitigation, revoking climate policy enacted under President Biden and instead promising to greatly expand and invest in fossil fuel production. As mentioned, money for solar power programs in Washington has been placed in limbo due to Trump’s actions, which “appear to violate several federal laws and centuries of legal precedent, as well as multiple active restraining orders from federal courts,” per environmental magazine Grist.
However, Ferguson spoke optimistically, referring to federal climate challenges as an “opportunity” for state lawmakers to “lead the nation.” He elaborated, stating, “Three months ago, Washingtonians overwhelmingly voted to preserve the Climate Commitment Act… Whether the President likes it or not, the transition to a clean energy economy is coming to Washington state. President Trump may be setting back the United States, but he’s giving us a head start on leading the nation.”
Ferguson concluded by directly addressing the 47th President. “My message to President Trump is fairly simple. I’ll work with you on areas of common interest, but you’re making it tough,” he said. “I’m still committed to that. I really am. But if you overstep your authority, we will stand up to you.”
Following the Governor’s remarks, Attorney General Nick Brown took the microphone with a similar message. He sharply criticized Vice President Vance’s recent statement questioning the judicial branch’s authority. “The ignorance that comes with a tweet like that is astounding,” Brown said, also calling the comments “historically inaccurate and dangerous.”
Brown claimed that he and Governor Ferguson would prioritize Washington state affairs over battling federal actions across the board, thanking the “incredible protections” that exist within state law for facilitating policy-making without fear of federal retaliation.
The state Attorney General signed off with a blunt message to President Trump. “You are in control of the House, the Senate, the majority of the Supreme Court… Follow the damn law. It’s not that hard,” said Brown.
Author: Kayvon Bumpus
3 Responses
Why is this “SOLAR for ALL” program miss-named? To miss-lead people into accepting this Tax-payer funded boondoggle? It is NOT for all. Once again, the tax-paying middle class goes to the back of the line, while low-income and disadvantaged households reap the benefits. If anything, the recipients of this exorbitantly expensive program should be chosen by lottery and also pay for a portion of the entire cost.
7 BILLION for 900,000 households? Creating hundreds of thousands of jobs?
Solar panels AND installation cost an average of $19,000 for a 1500 sq ft home. (15 -18 panels)
That’s 900,000 @ $19,000 for a total of 17 billion, 100 million dollars.
For 7 Billion, you can complete 368,500 low-income and disadvantaged homes.
If the low-income and disadvantaged need new roofs BEFORE installation, who will pay for that?
Average cost on 1500 Sq. Ft home is $9,000 @ 900,000 – 8 billion, 100 million
The majority of solar panels are made in China, one of our leading adversaries.
Solar panels typically only last 25-28 YEARS.
“Today we’re delivering on President Biden’s promise that no community is left behind by investing $7 billion in solar energy projects for over 900,000 households in low-income and disadvantaged communities,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “The selectees will advance solar energy initiatives across the country, creating hundreds of thousands of good-paying jobs, saving $8 billion in energy costs for families”
I’m just beyond sad that these are our WA state leaders. I pray that the defunding of federal dollars will bring them to their senses. But they will probably only add more taxes to the citizens burden in order to fulfill their liberal agenda.
What a mess our state is in. And there doesn’t appear to be any light at the end of the tunnel. I have my doubts that the majority of WA voters will ever wake up. How much more money can they take from families? That seems to be the only question these politicians ever ask.