March 20, 2025

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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March 18, 2025

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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March 14, 2025

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

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...
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February 27, 2025

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...
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February 20, 2025

The Good, the Interesting and the Controversial

The Good, the Interesting, and the Controversial Dear Friends and Neighbors, I know from talking with constituents how they are sometimes surprised by the sheer number and range of ideas that become legislation, for better or worse. Even when people don’t pay close attention to what happens in Olympia, a...
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February 13, 2025

No shortage of ideas about shortage of housing

Dear Friends and Neighbors, As of today, we are one month into the legislative session. The deadline for the Senate’s policy committees to act on bills introduced by senators is Feb. 21…a week from tomorrow. The Senate Housing Committee on which I serve is among those committees, so it’s about...
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February 06, 2025

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...
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January 30, 2025

Majority puts priority on undermining new parental-rights law

Note: This was distributed Jan. 30, 2025. To subscribe to Sen. Gildon’s e-newsletters, click here.  I always appreciate seeing students from our legislative district, like these 12th-graders from Chief Leschi School. We met in the State Reception Room during their visit to the Capitol this past week. Dear Friends and Neighbors,...
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January 24, 2025

Washington needs real solutions for renters and housing providers

Click here or on the image to view this week’s report from the legislative session. Dear Friends and Neighbors, The cost of buying or renting a home has a major effect on the level of affordability in our state. Republicans and Democrats agree that Washington simply doesn’t have enough affordable...
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