GOP vows to hold Inslee accountable
By Terry Murry on Friday, January 8th, 2021 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
OLYMPIA – Gov. Jay Inslee’s latest COVID-19 reopening plan has Republicans concerned. The plan divides the state into regions and places them all in Phase 1 of a two-phase plan. The Republican leaders in the House and Senate are waiting until the session begins next week to hold the governor accountable.
House Republican Leader J. T. Wilcox and Senate Republican Leader John Braun issued a joint statement calling for the governor to listen to the voices of all Washingtonians, including small business owners.
“He has demanded no accountability from important state agencies involved in the pandemic response,” the statement reads. “His Employment Security Department failed to prevent massive fraud and deliver timely unemployment benefits to those in desperate need. It continues to fail them. And, after months of criticizing the federal government’s efforts, the governor’s Department of Health just admitted that the state has fallen behind in its vaccine rollout.”
The 2021 session begins Monday. Republicans have already introduced solutions and will be putting more ideas on the table soon.
“We will also bring the voices of forgotten Washingtonians to the legislative arena,” the statement reads.
