Washington House Speaker lays out ‘devastating cuts’ in a possible ‘no-new-taxes’ budget

Washington is grappling with a significant budget shortfall — ranging from $6 billion to $14 billion, depending on which lawmaker you ask. The partisan arguments over how to fix the deficit have been predictable: Democrats argue that more tax revenue is needed to save critical programs, while Republicans push for reduced spending.

House Democrats have launched a website aimed at illustrating what a zero-revenue budget for the next two years could look like and the cuts that could follow. The site is based on what’s known as a “Book One” budget, created by outgoing Washington Governor Jay Inslee.

Adhering to legal requirements, Inslee’s Book One budget assumes no new revenue and seeks to balance the deficit through $12 billion in cuts. The website emphasizes that this is not a final plan but rather a tool to highlight what Democrats believe would be the devastating effects of an all-cuts, no-revenue approach.

In her weekly podcast, Washington House Speaker Representative Laurie Jinkins (D-Tacoma) described the grim reality of such an approach:

“We are still parsing through that Book One budget to see if we were to just adopt a budget that was all cuts, what that would look like for the services to people in the state. It’s very concerning,” she said.

Proposed cuts for Washington budget

The proposed cuts outlined on the website include:

• Healthcare: A reduction of $3.5 billion over the next four years, potentially eliminating or significantly reducing key programs that keep residents healthy, leading to unaccounted-for costs in the future.
• Human Services and early learning: $1.5 billion in cuts that could eliminate or severely reduce services for those in poverty and low-income households.
• Higher education: Over $1.1 billion in cuts affecting students, universities, colleges, and apprenticeship programs. Jinkins warned, “It’s cutting three-quarters of a billion dollars from higher education, apprenticeships, our community and technical colleges, our research institutions—all of those things.”
• Long-term care and developmental disabilities: $1.5 billion reduction in services meant to ensure quality of life for seniors, individuals with developmental disabilities, and those requiring long-term care. Jinkins added, “It cuts a half a billion dollars from long-term care services to Washingtonians and services to developmentally disabled people in this state.”
• Behavioral health: $365 million in cuts to investments in mental health treatment and substance use disorder programs.
• Corrections: $376 million in reductions affecting treatment programs for those entering the criminal justice system, reentry investments, and healthcare staffing within the Department of Corrections.

One of the most striking aspects of the proposed cuts involves Medicaid. Jinkins explained that, beyond the required programs, there would be additional reductions.

“Some of that would be eliminating all adult dental care for adults on Medicaid in Washington State, eliminating kidney dialysis for adults on Medicaid in Washington State, eliminating family planning services and abortion care services,” Jinkins said.

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Washington Republican calls website distraction

However, Washington House Deputy Minority Leader Representative Chris Corry (R-Yakima) dismissed the website during a press event on Tuesday, calling it a distraction from what he described as years of reckless financial management by Democrats.

“This is a website that highlights just how badly they’ve mismanaged our state’s finances,” Corry said.

He pointed out that over the past six years, the state has spent nearly $9 billion more than it took in.

“And so now they’re claiming we have this big deficit,” he said. “It’s really just a masquerade of their reckless spending and financial irresponsibility. There’s no other way to put it.”

Corry also criticized the state’s use of one-time funds for ongoing expenses, arguing this practice has contributed to the current budget crisis.

“A great example of that is when they raided four billion dollars out of our state’s rainy-day savings account and spent it on ongoing costs,” he said. ‘This is the natural result of that.”

Washington Democrat says website should be used as tool

Jinkins has been vocal about the potential impact of these cuts, describing the Book One budget as an “eye-opening and kind of scary experience.”

She emphasized that while the legislature is not bound to adopt this proposal, it serves as a crucial tool to understand the ramifications of an all-cuts budget.

“None of these reductions would be painless, and the consequences would be devastating for Washingtonians,” she warned.

Corry, however, believes there are alternative solutions that don’t involve drastic cuts or new taxes.

“We still have revenue growth, which we do,” he said. “We’re just not going to do a bunch of new spending.”

Corry suggested that slowing or delaying certain expenditures could significantly reduce the deficit.

“There are areas where we can slow our spending, delay stuff, not implement it, that would end up having a huge bite out of the supposed deficit,” he said.

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What comes next?

This week is known as “fiscal week” in the state legislature. Any bill that would add or subtract from the state budget must pass out of its respective committee by Friday.

On Thursday, Washington Governor Bob Ferguson will announce how he plans to implement his proposed across-the-board 6% cut to nearly all state departments — a move that could save roughly $4 billion over the next biennium.

Matt Markovich is the KIRO Newsradio political analyst. Follow him on X. 

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