State Budget Proposals

• Spending in a biennium exceeds $80 billion for first time
• Equals an 11.3% spending increase for 2025-27 biennium compared to 2023-25
  • Note: 4-yr outlook projects $81.9 billion spending level for 2027-29 biennium, which equals extraordinarily low 2.2% spending growth; historic rate of growth (15% since return of one-party rule) would equal $92 billion for 27-29 cycle
• Net spending increase for 2025-27 biennium would rise to $1.7 billion… (for 2023-25 it was $6.4 billion net increase)
• Since 2015-17, budget has more than doubled (from $38.2 billion to $80.1 billion = 110%) while WA median household income has grown by half (from $63,400 to $98,100 = 54%)
• Relies heavily on one-time money: Drains unrestricted reserves by $2.4 billion; takes $750 million from rainy-day fund; transfer $395 million in capital gains revenue from capital to operating; raids $375 million from Public Works Fund
• New taxes = $114 million (AFTER state-record $12.3 billion in taxes in 2025)
• Suspends reality by assuming $801 million of appropriated money will NOT be spent
• K-12 funding drops to 42.2% share of budget, lower than at time of McCleary ruling in 2012 (43.4%); Higher Ed at 7.6% share, an all-time low
• Education (K-12 + Higher Ed) takes larger cut in policy funding than other areas, dropping it to less than 50% share of spending for the first time

• This budget is a “house of cards” built on a shaky foundation
  • Pulls almost $4 billion from one-time sources to fund ongoing commitments
• Democrats have irresponsibly tied this to an income tax that is unconstitutional.
• The majority keeps talking about affordability, yet there’s no direct help in this budget
• Proves again how Washington has a spending problem, not a revenue problem
• Focus should be on core priorities… education, health care, public safety (“educate, medicate, incarcerate”)
  • This budget shows K-12 is NOT the highest priority for Democrats
• Two steps in the right direction:
  • #1: Reform of Washington’s taxpayer-funded Working Connections Child Care subsidy program to save an estimated $800 million
    • This is not “slashing” support, just ending wasteful practice (SB 6353 is Robinson-Gildon reform)
    • Estimated savings is $682 million; $128 million saved by closing Biden-era loophole
  • #2: $1 billion appropriation would belatedly begin to address tort liability, WA’s fastest-growing budget issue, but it’s not enough to sustain funding for ensuing biennia
• It says a lot that the largest cost increase in this proposal is driven not by education or health care, but by the harm to Washington residents caused by agency mismanagement…tort.

Had Democrats adopted the “$ave Washington” budget sponsored by Sen. Chris Gildon in 2025, we would not be facing yet another deficit we can’t afford to backfill and we wouldn’t be looking at an unconstitutional income tax.

• Provides an additional $1.5 billion in funding over the $15.5 billion that was in the two-year budget approved by the Legislature last year, for a total of $17 billion for the biennium. (The House supplemental transportation budget provides $16.5 billion in funding.)
• Comes out a week after the February revenue forecast shows that state transportation revenue is down $101 million compared to the November 2025 forecast. The Senate budget addresses the revenue decrease by leveraging the remaining capacity of previously authorized bonds.
  • The Senate supplemental budget relies on $1.1 billion in new bond sales to be used on preservation projects over the next six years, as well as selling currently authorized bonds. In addition to the bond money, there is $400 million that will be held in reserve for program cost increases (construction inflation).

Preservation  

• Offers an additional $465 million for highway preservation in the current two-year budget cycle, followed by $410 million in the 2027-29 budget and $500 million in the 2029-31 budget. This compares to the House transportation budget providing $300 million in the current budget and $430 million in the 2027-29 budget.

Disaster relief

• Provides $30 million as a loan to the County Road Administration Board (CRAB) for county road disaster relief. This money is expected to be paid back by federal disaster relief funds. The loan will be forgiven if no federal money appears.

Ferries

• Increases spending for maintaining the state ferries system by $100 million, including funding to create a dedicated team to fix ferry boats when they break down, expanding the Bainbridge Island maintenance facility to fix unexpected breakdowns and upgrading the ferry terminal at Fauntleroy in Seattle to address traffic backups and vulnerability to earthquakes.
• Almost $13.1 million more is provided to buy new hybrid-electric vessels, plus another $31 million going toward electrifying the Seattle, Bainbridge and Clinton ferry terminals.

Dredging

• Provides $15 million for Columbia River dredging of the federal navigation channel downriver from Vancouver.

State Patrol

• Provides $2.7 million for State Patrol trooper training. This amount should help the State Patrol reach full staffing for the first time in more than a decade.