Leadership Blog

In the News

Elephant in the Dome Podcast: Washington’s Health Care Crisis: Hospital Closures & Hidden Costs

Published on June 17, 2025
Hospitals across Washington are hurting, clinics are shutting down, and costs are skyrocketing. In this episode of Elephant in the Dome, state senators break down the crisis hitting our health care system—from new taxes impacting hospitals to hidden costs that could drive up insurance premiums for families. What role does government play in this growing...
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Legislative leaders condemn political violence in Minnesota

Published on June 15, 2025
OLYMPIA – The leaders of all four caucuses in the Washington State Legislature released the following statement regarding the assassination and attempted assassinations of Minnesota elected officials: “Our deepest sympathies go out to the family of Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark, and we are sending wishes for a complete recovery to Senator...
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AUDIO: Despite signing of anti-parents’ rights bill, ‘this isn’t over,’ says Dozier

Published on May 21, 2025
A state Senator is frustrated after the governor signed a new law that overrides Washington’s 2024 parental-rights protections. Tracy Ellis reports.
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AUDIO: Senate Republicans react to Ferguson signing largest tax increase in state history

Published on May 20, 2025
Governor Bob Ferguson made big promises about fiscal responsibility, but today, Senate Republicans say he threw those promises out the window. Tracy Ellis reports.
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AUDIO/PHOTOS: Sens. Mark Schoesler, Nikki Torres, and Perry Dozier on KONA Radio

Published on May 16, 2025
Senators Mark Schoesler, Nikki Torres, and Perry Dozier discuss the latest budget decisions, tax policies, and housing challenges impacting Eastern Washington. They highlight bipartisan efforts, concerns over rising costs, and the potential for a special legislative session. LISTEN  
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News from the Caucus

April 27, 2025
Senate Republican Caucus

NEWSFLASH: Legislative Democrats ignore the advice of many and raise $12.5 billion in taxes just for the operating budget

Session ends with long debate on $77.9 billion operating budget   After long and heated debate, the majority passed the 2025-27 operating budget without a single Senate Republican vote. The document, which was released Saturday for a Sunday vote, is more than 1,300 pages long and spends nearly $80 billion over the next four years....
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February 20, 2025
Senate Republican Caucus

NEWSFLASH: Emergency powers, the mileage tax and more

CORRECTION: The original version of this Newsflash incorrectly quoted the proposed mileage tax at 26 cents per mile. The correct tax rate per mile is 2.6 cents per mile. The article below has been corrected to reflect the 2.6 cent rate.   IN THE NEWS: Emergency powers reform During the pandemic, former Gov. Jay Inslee...
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January 18, 2024
Senate Republican Caucus

Republican leaders support Initiative 2117 to repeal carbon tax, call for public hearings on the measure

Senate Republican Leader John Braun and House Republican Leader Drew Stokesbary released a joint statement today following the certification of Initiative 2117 (Concerning carbon tax credit trading) by the Secretary of State on Tuesday. “Governor Inslee and Democrats misled the public about the costs of the carbon tax on working families, farmers and small businesses. Now...
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January 08, 2024
Senate Republican Caucus

Governor continues to scapegoat others for his false claims about carbon tax effect on gas prices

OLYMPIA…Senate Republican Leader John Braun, R-Centralia, today responded to public comments recently made by Gov. Jay Inslee that attempt to divert attention from evidence in a Washington Policy Center blog showing the governor knew it was false to claim his “cap-and-trade” tax on carbon-dioxide emissions would not increase gas prices, or would do so only...
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December 01, 2023
Senate Republican Caucus

Accusation that economist was told to lie about projected gas price increase ‘very disturbing,’ says Braun

WSDOT actions latest example of executive mismanagement, lack of accountability OLYMPIA…Senate Republican Leader John Braun, R-Centralia, offered the following comments in reaction to a KING-TV story about a lawsuit that reportedly will be filed soon on behalf of a former employee of the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT). The employee, an economist and formerly...
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November 09, 2023
Senate Republican Caucus

You aren’t just feeling WA’s carbon tax at the pump. It drains more than pocketbooks

By Sen. Chris Gildon and Sen. Drew MacEwen   Our state’s Climate Commitment Act was passed in 2021 with the stated goal of reducing and eventually phasing out carbon emissions. Among other things, the law promises protections for Washington’s agricultural sector and marine trade, and we were assured revenue resulting from the “cap-and-trade” approach would...
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September 07, 2023
Curtis King

King says gas-price hike from ‘cap-and-trade’ auctions will hurt drivers even more

Sen. Curtis King, Republican leader on the Senate Transportation Committee, said the state’s latest carbon-pricing auction will cause gasoline prices to continue rising, further hurting Washington drivers and businesses. This will also raise the prices for all things being shipped, which is about every item consumers use, further adding to high inflation. “Since the carbon...
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July 20, 2023
Curtis King

King says Democrats’ attack on oil companies is attempt to steer focus from cap-and-trade’s effect on nation-leading gas prices

Sen. Curtis King, the ranking Republican on the Senate Transportation Committee, said Gov. Jay Inslee is trying to deflect criticism aimed at him due to the major role that the state’s cap-and-trade program has played in Washington having the highest gas prices in the nation. Inslee announced today that he wants legislation in 2024 targeting...
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June 21, 2023
Senate Republican Caucus

STATEMENT: Just in time for summer driving, Inslee cap-and-tax scheme pushes Washington gas prices to highest in nation

CENTRALIA… The average price of a gallon of regular gasoline in Washington is now worst in the nation, and Senate Republican Leader John Braun says the state’s controversial cap-and-tax law is clearly the main driver of the price jump. Braun, from Centralia, serves Washington’s largely rural 20th Legislative District. He offered this statement regarding the...
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April 15, 2020
Mark Schoesler

Schoesler statement on announcement of West Coast governors’ pact

OLYMPIA… Senate Republican Leader Mark Schoesler, R-Ritzville, issued this statement in response to Monday’s announcement by Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, Oregon Gov. Kate Brown and California Gov. Gavin Newsom that they have an agreement on a shared vision for reopening their states’ economies and controlling COVID-19 into the future. “If Washington shares a vision with...
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March 16, 2017
Curtis King

Senator King tells transit agency to consider soldiers and find a fair solution

Before he adjourned a recent working session of the Senate Transportation Committee, Sen. King urged Sound Transit officials to consider the impact their car tab tax valuations were having on soldiers.  Sen. King related how soldiers had come to him and described struggling to make ends meet.  He said they told him that they didn’t...
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March 02, 2015
Senate Republican Caucus

We said we would deliver and we did

Statement from Senate Majority Leader Mark Schoesler, R-Ritzville, on passage of the Senate transportation package. “We said we would deliver and we did. Today’s bipartisan vote on a statewide transportation package creates 200,000 jobs, gets our economy moving, fixes our crumbling highways and provides more accountability in the way we manage our transportation dollars. That’s a...
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