WA Rep files lawsuit against stay-at-home order, calls Inslee ‘irresponsible’

A handful of Republican lawmakers have filed a lawsuit against Governor Jay Inslee’s stay-at-home order. Rep. Andrew Barkis is one of the representatives who filed the suit and joined the Jason Rantz Show on KTTH to discuss why.

“He instituted the extension of the stay-at-home order and at that point in time, we all started to talk because we have been inundated by literally thousands of people who are just pleading because of the economic damage that’s happening throughout our state, and we decided that it was time to take the next steps,” Barkis said.

“We felt that as individual citizens who have been impacted that we should take appropriate measures to tell the governor and tell the people that it is time to end the emergency proclamation, and to move back to normality in the state of Washington, while also continuing vigilance within the context of this virus and making sure that all the appropriate actions are taken.”

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Rep. Barkis said even Inslee’s own data is pointing toward this being the logical move, and there should be an alternative way forward.

“Even his own data … shows that we have flattened the curve, we’re on the downward slope of this,” Barkis said. “It is isolated to specific segments of our population, specific counties, and appropriate steps could be taken differently than him continuing in actions underneath this emergency proclamation in governing by himself.”

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Gov. Inslee was asked about this lawsuit and implied that Rep. Barkis and his colleagues were acting dangerously. What’s Barkis’ reaction to that?

“That’s a very inappropriate statement for the governor of the state of Washington to say. He referred to us as ignorant, reckless, heartless, irresponsible,” he said. “I can tell you that myself and my colleagues on this particular lawsuit have dedicated hundreds of hours to helping the people of state of Washington through this crisis. We acknowledge the loss of life in the tragedy that this crisis has brought upon, and we supported him in the beginning.”

“I think his actions are irresponsible,” Barkis added. “I think the impact to the state of Washington, our economy, is going to be so great that we’re not even talking about those that are impacted, the deaths that have resulted from suicide, from desperation, from all of the people who have not been able to achieve or have medical care that is not COVID-related.”

Listen to the Jason Rantz Show weekday afternoons from 3 – 6 p.m. on KTTH 770 AM (or HD Radio 97.3 FM HD-Channel 3). Subscribe to the podcast here.

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