OLYMPIA… Despite an unexpected infusion of money from the state’s capital-gains income tax, Olympia remains on track for yet another multibillion-dollar budget shortfall as it moves into the second half of the current budget cycle. The second of the state’s four quarterly revenue forecasts for 2026 was adopted today by...

PUYALLUP… The budget leader for the state’s Senate Republicans says the “significant” shortfall anticipated in the next state operating budget by Gov. Bob Ferguson’s administration was completely predictable. Sen. Chris Gildon, R-Puyallup, offered this reaction to budgeting instructions sent to state agencies that call for reductions without acknowledging Olympia’s chronic...

Feb. 28, 2026 This week’s “Inside Olympia” program on the TVW network was dedicated to the state operating budget. The show leads off with Sen. June Robinson, the Democrats’ budget-committee chair; my portion starts at the 27:27 mark. Click here to view it. Dear Friends and Neighbors, The Senate is...

OLYMPIA… The Senate’s majority Democrats today adopted a supplemental operating budget that would raid Washington’s rainy-day fund and other accounts to push state spending above $80 billion for the remainder of the 2025-27 biennium. Republican budget leaders are disappointed that billions of dollars are being pulled from one-time sources to...

OLYMPIA… Leaders in the state Legislature’s Senate Republican Caucus offered these comments following the majority Democrats’ passage of legislation to create a state income tax. Senate Bill 6346 was passed with a 27-22 vote: From Senate Republican Leader John Braun of Centralia: “This income-tax bill clearly goes against our state...

OLYMPIA… The Republican senators who saw their service-saving, no-new-taxes budget rejected by Democrats earlier this year are reacting cautiously to the supplemental 2025-27 operating budget proposed today by Gov. Bob Ferguson. Sen. Chris Gildon of Puyallup, Senate Republican budget leader, said it’s essential for Ferguson to now avoid flip-flopping when...

OLYMPIA… Today’s adoption of the final state revenue forecast for 2025 means the next move in dealing with Olympia’s self-inflicted financial woes falls to Gov. Bob Ferguson, says Sen. Chris Gildon, Senate Republican budget leader. Compared to the third-quarter projection from the state’s non-partisan chief economist, revenue is now expected to...

OLYMPIA… The second of this year’s quarterly state-revenue forecasts was adopted today by Sen. Chris Gildon and other members of the state Economic and Revenue Forecast Council. The new predictions from the state’s chief economist have revenue collections for the 2025-27 and 2027-29 operating-budget cycles falling $490 million and $638...

OLYMPIA… Senate Republican leaders say the governor chose the wrong side today in signing a new state operating budget that relies on the largest package of tax increases in Washington history. Despite earlier denouncing new taxes that would hit the state’s working families, Gov. Bob Ferguson decided not to veto...