WA Senate GOP shocked by Democrats’ budget proposal

OLYMPIA – Senate Democrats have passed a budget that includes the largest tax increases in Washington state history after rejecting a no new taxes, no cuts proposal from Senate Republicans.

The Republican “$ave Washington” plan failed on a 30-19 party-line vote. Senate Democrats then adopted their larger $78.5 billion proposal with a partisan 28-21 vote. 

Prior to the final vote, Sen. Perry Dozier (R-Waitsburg) reminded Senate colleagues that the Democrat budget includes cuts to higher education, causing tuition increases.

“One of the most popular things the Legislature has done in the past decade was to cut tuition, then put a cap on it so students and their families could know what was coming,” Dozier said, referring to a 2015 Republican-led reform that reduced tuition for the first time in state history. “It’s unconscionable for the Democrats to now break the tuition cap when they’re also raising taxes by $21 billion.”

Now, Senate Democrat budget writers must negotiate with their counterparts in the House of Representatives to finalize a state spending plan, which much be approved by both chambers and signed by Gov. Rob Ferguson.

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