Author Archives: ericcampbell

Republican budget leaders shocked by Democrats’ rejection of no-new-taxes, no-cuts budget proposal

OLYMPIA… The state Senate’s majority Democrats today passed a $78.6 billion operating budget that relies on the largest tax increase in state history, after rejecting the smaller, no-new-taxes, no-cuts budget proposed by Senate Republicans.

The “$ave Washington” budget, which doesn’t outspend the state’s anticipated level of revenue, was offered in place of the Democrats’ own budget, which would continue the trend of overspending that led to the $6.6 billion budget shortfall legislators must address. Democrats rejected it on a party-line 30-19 vote, before approving their own plan on a 28-21 vote.

The senators who crafted the Republican budget reacted with shock that Democrats would approve huge tax increases when a budget that protects services without raising taxes is available.

From Sen. Gildon, who is Senate Republican budget leader:

“Budgets are always about choices, and today the majority Democrats made a choice that is wrong for our state. They’re supporting a budget that would impose $21 billion in additional taxes, when they could have joined us to support a budget that doesn’t increase a single tax.

“Their budget will just about wipe out the state’s ‘rainy-day fund,’ even though it isn’t raining – we know that because the state expects to collect more revenue, not less, from the taxes already in place. Our budget leaves the rainy-day fund alone.

“The Democrats’ budget would raise taxes while cutting support for higher education, which means tuition increases at our state-run colleges and universities. Their budget raises taxes but won’t put more money toward law enforcement. It raises taxes but would make the Discover Pass and hunting and fishing licenses much more expensive. This budget is even balanced on the backs of state employees, who would be forced to lose pay by going on furlough.

“It’s amazing that so many senators would vote for a budget like that, knowing the harm it would cause the people they serve. Higher taxes aren’t inevitable, even though there’s a budget shortfall. Our no-new-taxes, no-cuts approach proves it. We offered the Democrats a better way, and they said no.”

(Click here to view Sen. Gildon’s remarks on the no-new-taxes, no-cuts proposal)

From Sen. Torres, who is assistant budget leader:

“These two budgets could not be more different, especially on taxes. The majority leaders have talked for months about how they want to make the wealthy pay more, yet their budget is filled with choices that dig deeper into the pockets of lower- and middle-income people in our state.

“The Democrats can’t possibly argue that the property-tax increases wrapped into their budget will be paid only by the wealthy. Property taxes hit everyone – lower-income families, middle-income families, and renters. That alone is reason to say no to the majority’s budget.

“In spite of the huge tax increases the majority proposes, they also would make a 26% reduction in funding for the state Office of Public Defense – just when the Washington Supreme Court is working on updated workload standards for public defenders to ensure adequate representation for defendants.

“Slashing funding for public defense means defendants in our state may go without legal representation, creating constitutional crises in our courts. At the same time, cases will stall or go unprosecuted entirely, allowing dangerous criminals to remain on the streets and making our communities less safe. Rural Washington will bear the brunt of these cuts, where public defenders are already stretched thin and access to legal resources is scarce.

“The Senate Democrats’ budget leaves Washingtonians vulnerable and sends the wrong message about the value of justice in our state. They had an opportunity to join Republicans and choose a better direction. Fortunately, this is not the final budget, and there still is time for legislators to get their priorities straight.”

(Click here to view Sen. Torres’ remarks on the no-new-taxes, no-cuts proposal)

Democrats’ budget proposals don’t justify massive tax hikes, say Republican budget leaders

OLYMPIA… Sen. Chris Gildon, R-Puyallup, and Sen. Nikki Torres, R-Pasco, offered this reaction to the operating budgets proposed today by the Legislature’s majority Democrats. The Senate majority’s plan would spend $78.5 billion in the 2025-27 budget cycle – $3 billion more than the Senate Republican “$ave Washington” proposal – while the corresponding House Democrats’ plan comes in at nearly $77.8 billion.

From Sen. Gildon, who is Senate Republican budget leader:

“The Senate Democrats claim their budget makes ‘tough choices,’ but the reality is, the tough choices are going to fall on the parents and college kids and families who will lose out because of the majority’s misguided priorities. Our Democrat colleagues want to raise your taxes by $21 billion, yet they would cut support for childcare programs and subsidies, cut financial aid while increasing tuition, and make the Discover Pass and hunting and fishing licenses significantly more expensive. It’s easy to see what the majority values most – just look at all the new spending, and how more than half of the 10 largest line items are about increasing pay and benefits for public servants.

“The $ave Washington approach from Senate Republicans doesn’t need to raise property taxes or put state workers on furlough to balance. There isn’t a single tax increase or a single service cut. It proves we can support our shared priorities, including full funding for K-12 and services for our most vulnerable neighbors, without asking working families to pay more.”

From Sen. Torres, who is assistant budget leader:

“I’m not seeing anything in the Democrats’ budgets that justifies the largest tax increase in state history. And look at who goes backward: parents and childcare providers, college kids and their families, and people who want to hunt or fish or just visit a state park for the day. The Senate majority’s budget also would significantly harm our Office of Public Defense at a time when we need more support in our criminal-justice system, not less.

“They claim these choices were the result of ‘thoughtful conversations,’ but the truly thoughtful approach is in the $ave Washington budget we unveiled March 11. It funds the priorities we share, including $100 million in grants to hire law-enforcement officers, without all the Democrat downside. There are no new taxes or service cuts in our budget, and it looks even better now that we can all see what the majority wants.”

Republican budget leaders on Senate Democrats’ record-setting tax package: ‘a new kind of March madness’

OLYMPIA… Sen. Chris Gildon, R-Puyallup, and Sen. Nikki Torres, R-Pasco, offered this reaction to the $20 billion, four-year tax package proposed by the Senate’s majority Democrats today, ahead of the anticipated Monday rollout of their 2025-27 operating-budget proposal.

From Sen. Gildon, who is Senate Republican budget leader:

“My first reaction was wow – this is a new kind of March madness, especially the new attempt to do away with the 1% cap voters had put on property-tax growth. We keep hearing from Senate Democrats that they want to make the wealthiest Washingtonians pay more. But the property-tax increase they want is regressive. It would fall directly on the backs of families who are far from wealthy and also become a pass-through cost to renters across our state. To me that’s talking out of both sides of your mouth.

“Everyone knows what the Climate Commitment Act has done to their cost of living, yet it’s a lot smaller than any of the taxes the Democrats proposed today.

“Senate Republicans have proven we can have a balanced budget without a single tax increase or a single service cut. Our $ave Washington approach is a better way to support the priorities we all share, including full funding for K-12 and services for our most vulnerable neighbors, without asking working families to pay more.”

From Sen. Torres, who is assistant budget leader:

“How could our Democratic colleagues ‘scrub the budget for savings,’ as they claimed today, and still want $20 billion in new and higher taxes? I’m also very troubled by the property-tax increase, because the annual growth rate would likely be higher than the 3% they proposed in 2023 and 2024, and it would compound over time.

“Republicans brought up the idea of a temporary 1% sales-tax cut in 2022, when the state had a surplus. The Democrats did nothing. Now they’re proposing to cut the sales tax half a percentage point, but only along with the largest set of tax increases in state history – and the sales-tax cut wouldn’t take effect until 2027 anyway. It’s hard to see that as a serious attempt to help the struggling households across our state.

“The Senate Democrats make a point of suggesting each one of their tax increases would help public schools. The $ave Washington budget we unveiled March 11 would fully fund our K-12 schools without any tax increases. The truth is, they’ve wanted tax increases like these for years. The budget shortfall is simply a convenient new excuse.”

STATEMENT: Republican budget leader says drop in revenue forecast confirms need to limit spending, avoid new taxes

OLYMPIA… An $845 million decrease in this year’s initial forecast of state revenue gives legislators more reason to keep a lid on new spending and say no to new and higher taxes, says Sen. Chris Gildon, Senate Republican budget leader.

Today’s forecast will be used by legislative budget writers to put the finishing touches on proposed operating budgets for the upcoming 2025-27 biennium.

Gildon, R-Puyallup, offered this statement about what the first quarterly forecast of 2025 means for the overall budget situation and the no-new-taxes, no-cuts “$ave Washington” budget proposal Senate Republicans presented a week ago:

“Even with today’s forecast the state expects to have $4.5 billion more over the next two years, so the sky is not falling. Still, our chief economist repeatedly cautioned us to expect slow revenue growth. Legislative budget writers should take heed and show restraint going forward, especially with the uncertainty about actions at the federal level that could affect our situation.

“The smart approach is to avoid new and higher taxes, limit new spending to core priorities like K-12 and public safety, preserve social services, and protect the rainy-day fund. Our $ave Washington budget does all of that.

“If our Democratic colleagues deplete the rainy-day fund and abuse their taxing authority this year, it could put us in a very vulnerable position next year.

“Knowing our budget would come out before today’s forecast, we built in several options for adjustments. But it will continue to be the no-new-taxes, no-cuts approach our state needs. Washington families can’t afford more of the tax-and-spend they’ve been seeing from Olympia.”

The predictions from the state’s chief economist, for the 2025-27 and 2027-29 budget cycles, are down $479 million and $420 million respectively from the previous forecast in November. Gildon and other members of the state Economic and Revenue Forecast Council adopted them today.

When combined with a $54 million increase anticipated for the remainder of the current budget cycle, the total projected revenue drop is $845 million, or 0.6%, over the state’s four-year budget outlook.

What… a budget that doesn’t raise taxes or cut services?

This week Senate Republicans came out with a budget proposal that would effectively erase state government’s budget shortfall while saving the people of our state from the harm of either huge tax increases or devastating spending cuts. That’s why we’re calling our plan the “$ave Washington” budget.

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

This report is going out a little later than I had hoped, but it has been a busier week than usual.

We spent most of Monday through Wednesday working on the floor of the Senate chamber, debating and voting on bills. The first round of “floor action” wrapped late Wednesday afternoon, on schedule, and starting yesterday the Senate committees are back at work, this time considering bills that were passed by the House.

In between everything else, we did something Tuesday morning that no one thought was possible: propose a new state operating budget that doesn’t raise taxes and doesn’t slash services.

It’s rare for the minority side to introduce a budget of its own, and almost unheard of for any budget proposal to be out this early in a legislative session.

But it was important to us to get this plan on the table for all to see, because our approach goes against what the people of Washington and the news media are hearing from majority Democrats. Their message is that state government’s budget shortfall is too big to overcome unless taxes are raised, because the alternative is to make devastating cuts to life-saving services. Our budget shows neither of those claims is true.

We probably won’t see budgets from either the Senate or House Democrats for the better part of two weeks. That means taxpayers, our Democratic colleagues and the news media have plenty of time to scrutinize our work, and see that this approach is for real. There is a better way!

The proof is all online: visit $aveWashington to see everything from the slide presentation to the balance sheet.

Here are some other links that may be of interest:

The takeaways from our budget are a) it’s affordable, b) it reflects the priorities of Washingtonians, and c) it includes efficiencies and reforms to make government work better.

I’ll be happy to go into more detail tomorrow morning at our town hall meeting. Hope to see you there!

Your Input Matters

I am committed to representing your interests effectively and I welcome your feedback and suggestions. You may contact me at:

It is an honor serving you and I look forward to your continued engagement and support!

Sincerely,

 

 

 

Sen. Chris Gildon, 25th Legislative District

NEWS: Republican budget leader welcomes Ferguson’s savings suggestions

OLYMPIA… Sen. Chris Gildon, R-Puyallup and budget leader for Senate Republicans, said he appreciates the spending-reduction ideas offered by Gov. Bob Ferguson today and offered this statement in response:

“The governor has vowed to come up with spending reductions, and I appreciate that he has delivered these savings ideas less than halfway into our session. This allows budget writers to consider them while there is still time. Notably, this is a full month sooner than the former governor managed when he first took office.

“Governor Ferguson views the budget shortfall at $15 billion, which was somewhat surprising. According to non-partisan Senate budget staff, the true gap is $6.7 billion if the priority is to maintain current government levels next year. However, I understand how he arrives at this figure; it really boils down to priorities, and a prime example of that is his allocation of $4 billion for state-worker pay raises.

“Some of the cost-saving ideas, particularly the proposal for state-employee furloughs, are concerning. This plan sends a message to taxpayers: public servants will receive higher pay using $4 billion more of your tax dollars, and in return, you will receive 12 fewer days of service from them each year for two years. I doubt the people of our state will see this as a fair deal.

“Overall, if Republicans were to write a new operating budget, we would likely incorporate many of the governor’s cost-savings suggestions. However, we believe there are additional opportunities beyond what he offered today, and we would be glad to share those with the governor as we identify them. He knows, as Republicans do, that new taxes should be a last resort. We will do what we can to help him stand by that belief.”

The Good, the Interesting and the Controversial

No shortage of ideas about shortage of housing

When taxes on WA businesses go up… all of us pay more

Click here or on the image to view this week’s report from the legislative session.

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

While Republicans are busy compiling a list of proposals for eliminating wasteful government spending — more on that next — some in Olympia are considering an increase in the tax paid by Washington businesses. As I explain in the video linked above, it’s the consumers across our state who would ultimately be hit by such a tax hike. I hope you can take a few minutes to view it!

Targeting wasteful spending
This morning the Senate Health and Long-Term Care Committee endorsed my bill about reducing “improper medicaid concurrent enrollment payments.” That’s the official title of Senate Bill 5258; in plain English, this bipartisan legislation would stop making Washington taxpayers pay Medicaid premiums for people who no longer live in our state.

It’s not clear whether the lax management by the agencies that oversee Medicaid services in our state has been wasting tens of millions or hundreds of millions, but the reforms in SB 5258 are long overdue. The bill’s next stop is our Senate Ways and Means Committee.

Reduce state payouts
Also, my video report from Jan. 24 explained the bill I’ve introduced to reduce the costly explosion in “tort” cases that result in big payouts — more than $500 million in just the past two years. Yesterday The Seattle Times published an in-depth report on the issue and our proposed solution, Senate Bill 5144.

Check it out online: $ave Washington!
Check our $ave Washington webpage for more cost-saving ideas like these. No one should be talking about raising taxes when agencies are doing a poor job of managing and protecting the dollars already allocated to them.

The state Capitol grounds were free of snow today, so our 25th District delegation was able to step outside of the Legislative Building (the Capitol dome) for this photo with a group of visiting Pierce County fire chiefs.

Your Input Matters

I am committed to representing your interests effectively and I welcome your feedback and suggestions. You may contact me at:

It is an honor serving you and I look forward to your continued engagement and support!

Sincerely,

 

 

 

Sen. Chris Gildon, 25th Legislative District

Contact me!

PHONE: (360) 786-7648

E-MAIL: Chris.Gildon@leg.wa.gov

MAILING ADDRESS: P.O. Box 40425, Olympia, WA 98504

LEAVE A MESSAGE ON THE LEGISLATIVE HOTLINE: 1-800-562-6000

NOTE: Written communications are subject to disclosure under the Washington Public Records Act.