The themes coming out of Olympia: more taxes and government control
Click here to view this week’s report from the legislative session. Dear Friends and Neighbors, It’s day 96 of this year’s 105-day legislative session. By now we’ve been able to see which bills are considered priorities by the majority, and which are not. The majority has approved several bills that...
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Republican budget leaders agree with governor: latest Democrat tax plan is wrong for Washington
OLYMPIA… The Republican senators who crafted the no-new-taxes “$ave Washington” operating budget say they agree with Gov. Bob Ferguson’s view that the $12 billion package of tax increases proposed by Senate Democrats this week is too large. From Sen. Chris Gildon of Puyallup, who is Senate Republican budget leader: “We...
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On ‘Tax Day,’ Senate Democrats propose billions more in tax increases
OLYMPIA… As Washingtonians mark Tax Day, Olympia is seeing a second wave of tax proposals from the state Senate’s majority Democrats, to go with the $21 billion in new and higher taxes wrapped into the operating-budget proposal they endorsed two weeks ago. The majority’s new tax legislation emerged today –...
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Democrats to go behind closed doors to cut final budget deal
Click here to view this week’s report from the legislative session. Dear Friends and Neighbors, My video report focuses on two of the taxes being proposed by Senate Democrats that would cause the most harm to the budgets of families in the 25th District and statewide. One is a...
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Republican budget leaders appreciate governor’s stance on budget situation
OLYMPIA… The senators behind the no-new-taxes, no-cuts operating “$ave Washington” budget proposed by Senate Republicans offered this reaction to comments made today by Gov. Bob Ferguson about the operating budgets adopted by the Senate and House of Representatives in the past few days. From Sen. Chris Gildon of Puyallup, who...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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