With only days left, GOP accuses Dems of rushed budget, no transparency: ‘We have no idea who’s being taxed’

With just days left in the 2025 legislative session, Republican leaders in the Washington State House and Senate held nothing back in a press conference Wednesday, slamming Democratic lawmakers for what they described as a reckless, last-minute tax-and-spend spree being pushed through with minimal transparency.

The Republican leadership warned that a flood of new taxes—many introduced or drastically altered in the eleventh hour by democrats, the majority party —could crush Washington’s economy, drive up the cost of essentials like housing and health care, and chase out the very businesses that keep the state running.

Democrats have not responded to the Republican accusations as of Wednesday afternoon.

“If there’s a worse way to do tax policy, I don’t know what it is,” House Minority Leader Rep. Drew Stokesbary (R-Auburn) said. “Taxes are being changed on the fly. Bills with brand-new amendments are dropping just hours before votes, with no fiscal notes, no analysis, and no time for public input.”

Budget bombshells at the buzzer

At the heart of the Republicans’ frustration is the state’s operating budget, which, as of their press conference, remained largely a mystery. Lawmakers complained that even rank-and-file Democrats hadn’t seen the final numbers.

“We’ve been asked to raise taxes without knowing if they’re necessary,” House Deputy Minority Leader Rep. Chris Corry (R-Yakima) said.

They pointed to reports of a striking amendment regarding a tax on nicotine being dropped hours before a House committee meeting, completely overhauling a Senate-passed bill with almost no time for review.

In another instance, a Business and Occupation (B&O) tax bill made it to the House floor without a fiscal note—a basic document that outlines how much money the bill would generate and who it would affect.

“We have no idea who’s being taxed, how much is being raised, or what the impact is,” Stokesbary said. “And yet we’re voting on these bills anyway.”

‘Progressive’ in name, regressive in impact?

Despite early session promises by Democrats to make Washington’s tax system less regressive, Republicans say the opposite is happening. They rattled off a laundry list of tax hikes that they argue will disproportionately hit low- and middle-income residents, including increased Discover Pass fees, higher hunting and fishing license costs, and a new tax on storage units, to name a few.

“Transportation revenues that rely on gas tax increases, vehicle registration fees, tire tax increases, sales tax increases, driver’s license fees, these are all regressive taxes,” Corry said.

Democratic leaders of the House and Senate met with Washington Governor Bob Ferguson on Tuesday for a scheduled one-hour meeting. During a bill signing session after the meeting, the Governor was asked to comment on it. He refused to do so.

MyNorthwest reached out to House Majority Leader Rep. Joe Fitzgibbon (D-Seattle) via a text for a comment about the meeting, but has not received a response.

Behind the curtain: Budget games and political theater

Behind the scenes, Republicans said the real scandal is procedural. Democrats hold the majority in both chambers, and GOP leaders said they’ve used that power to block amendments, keep schedules tight, and ram through changes without giving the public or even fellow lawmakers a chance to weigh in.

“Right now, Democrats have given Republicans a couple of hours to come up with suggestions to amend their tax bills and haven’t allowed Republicans to see what other changes Democrats are going to include. It is an impossible situation,” Stokesbary said.

They also raised alarms about the possible return of the McCleary lawsuit, a legal battle that previously forced the state to overhaul school funding. The proposal would expand local school levies and potentially violate constitutional requirements reaffirmed by the Washington State Supreme Court in that’s been called the McCleary decision.

“In fact, there’s already rumors out there that there’s a handful of schools who have already retained an attorney to initiate that type of a suit,” Senate Minority Leader John Braun (R-Chehalis) said.

Governor’s move: ‘A $12 billion test’

The final wildcard is Ferguson. He’s publicly voiced discomfort with the scale of the all the taxes being proposed—rumored to be somewhere between $10 and $12 billion—but hasn’t said whether he’ll veto it if it lands on his desk.

“I sure hope that he’s willing to stand firm and follow through on the promises he’s made as governor to govern responsibly and in the best interest of all of Washington, and not just the far left progressive base,” Stokesbary said.

And with rumors swirling about a possible special session, Sen. Braun gives a “50-50” possibility of that happening.

On Saturday, Ferguson indicated he would not be opposed to spending a few extra days on matters he deemed appropriate.

Matt Markovich is the KIRO Newsradio political analyst. Follow him on X. Read more of his stories here.

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