Fiscal Fallout: $375 million bond debt indirectly funding operating budget
[The Center Square]—Washington state is quietly raiding a special fund meant for local roads, bridges, water pipes, and sewers and now borrowing money through higher-rate bonds to replenish it — even though the state just collected record tax revenue and passed its biggest tax hike ever, according to an analysis of state fiscal data by […]
John Braun: There’s no overstating what Democrats just did to our state
Sadly, we’ve now seen just how much damage 90 people can do to our state in 60 days. The 90 people are Democrats: 59 state representatives, 30 state senators and Gov. Bob Ferguson. The 60 days went from Jan. 12 through March 12 — meaning this year’s legislative session. While Republicans fought hard and well […]
Millionaires’ Tax Showdown in Olympia: Fears of Business Exodus vs Calls for Fairness
OLYMPIA—Washington lawmakers heard impassioned pleas from both sides during a packed Senate Ways and Means Committee hearing on Friday, February 6, 2026, over Senate Bill 6346, a proposal to impose a 9.9% tax on individuals earning more than $1 million annually. Supporters cast the measure as a vital step toward fixing what they call a […]
What’s on the agenda for Washington’s 2026 legislative session
With a looming $1.6 billion to $2.3 billion budget shortfall hanging over the Washington state legislature, House and Senate leaders and Governor Bob Ferguson presented differing proposals to address the issue. Three panels of House and Senate leaders discussed the state’s transportation budget and general fund, while Ferguson renewed his support for a “millionaire tax.” […]
WA GOP budget lead blasts Ferguson’s budget plan as ‘a complete joke’
[The Center Square]—Washington state Gov. Bob Ferguson released his proposed 2026 supplemental budget on Tuesday, the deadline for presenting it. Ferguson’s proposed budget totals $79 billion and aims to address a projected $2.3 billion shortfall through a combination of cost-saving reductions and targeted spending in housing, education and infrastructure. “I want to be clear that […]
WA state budget gets $105M boost, Ferguson warns of “Deep Financial Challenges” still ahead
OLYMPIA [Jake Goldstein-Street]—Washington state budget writers got a mild dose of good news on Tuesday, but are still looking at a strained balance sheet. Revenue projections show collections up $105 million for the current two-year state budget compared to the last forecast in September. That amounts to a 0.1% increase, a change from previous reports […]
Washington legislators pass $78 billion biennium operating budget
This year’s 105-day Washington state legislative session was in many ways a trudge. There was a multibillion-dollar budget deficit to solve. Sharp debate on parental rights and capping rent increases. Clashes over tax policy. Tensions between the new Democratic governor and legislators in his own party. And the unexpected deaths of a sitting senator and a […]
Ferguson rejects both House and Senate budgets, dismissing tax hikes and wealth tax
OLYMPIA—Washington State Governor Bob Ferguson said he will not be signing off on either House or Senate 2025-27 operating budget proposals during a press conference Tuesday, April 1, explaining he cannot stand by the tax hikes proposed, especially during a time of federal uncertainty. [Watch video of Ferguson budget presser at end of article]. “Hope […]
Washington House passes $78 billion state operating budget, Senate and governor to weigh in
The Washington state House passed its operating budget just after midnight on Tuesday, setting the stage for negotiations with the Senate and the governor on a spending blueprint to address a looming multi-billion-dollar shortfall. The House approved the two-year $77.8 billion operating budget on a 54-44 vote in which five Democrats joined all Republicans in opposition. The five Democrats who […]
Republicans disrupt budget conversation with no-new-taxes, no-cuts plan
Being on the minority side in the state Senate means playing defense against a lot of bad pieces of legislation, but there are times when we can still take satisfaction in a job well done. One way or another, and at one stage or another in the lawmaking process, Senate Republicans managed to keep hundreds […]
