OLYMPIA… Today’s Senate vote on a final supplemental operating budget for the 2025-27 biennium gave Senate Republican budget leaders another opportunity to express their concerns about the inability of majority Democrats to restrain government spending.
Like the separate versions approved in recent days by Senate and House Democrats, the $80.1 billion budget compromise greatly outspends the available revenue and relies on a mix of new taxes and “one-time” money to fund ongoing expenses.
From Sen. Chris Gildon, R-Puyallup and budget leader:
“With this new budget, the far-left majority is leaving Olympia having put Washington in worse financial shape than they found it. We needed a plan built on structural balance and restraint. Instead, they’ve delivered a budget as unstable as a house of cards.
“All they had to do this session was close a $1.5 billion gap in a $78 billion budget — a manageable challenge. Rather than applying basic cost controls and pursuing sensible reforms, such as ending double Medicaid payments through Senate Bill 5258, they continued the habit of new and unnecessary spending propped up by raids on funds meant for other priorities. If that lack of discipline continues, structural deficits will keep coming back — because taxes can’t keep up with an endless appetite for spending.
“We’re told the majority made tough choices to get here, but it’s hard to see how offering tax credits to individuals earning north of $100,000 counts as meaningful relief for working families. The bottom line is this budget grows state government by more than 11 percent while our economy remains flat. You don’t make life in Washington more affordable by making it more expensive — and taxpayers deserve better stewardship than this.”
From Sen. Nikki Torres, R-Pasco and assistant budget leader:
“This supplemental budget grows government again, and the state is already on track for an $878 million deficit by 2028. That tells you everything you need to know. When lawmakers increase spending but still cut programs like Running Start and Transition to Kindergarten, raise copays, and walk away from commitments like public defense funding, the problem isn’t revenue — it’s priorities.”