News from the Caucus

Robert Jackson was among 3,000 prisoners released in earlier Department of Corrections fiasco OLYMPIA – Resentencing of a man who got life without parole after he killed his girlfriend in a bloody 2015 car crash is a travesty that illustrates the terrible human consequences when the Legislature goes “soft on crime,” Republican senators say. Robert...

August 17, 2022 Once upon a time, Governor Inslee spoke of “data” and “science” when defending pandemic-related decisions he made with the self-granted authority that came with proclaiming a state of emergency. Around 16 months into the state of emergency a reporter asked the governor, in so many words, if state law gave him too...

— August 8, 2022 It was apparent then, and is even more apparent today: The 2021 legislative session really pushed our state in the wrong direction. Governor Inslee and others who longed for a state income tax finally got their way. Hard drugs were essentially legalized. Even worse, it was done in a way that...

OLYMPIA…Senate Republican Leader John Braun, R-Centralia, released the following statement in response to the United States Supreme Court decision limiting the Environmental Protection Agency’s rulemaking authority. The court ruled that Congress must authorize new regulations to limit power plant emissions. “Today’s opinion is about the rule of law. It is up to Congress to authorize...

OLYMPIA…Senate Republican Leader John Braun shared comments in reaction to the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization abortion case, which proposed overturning the 1973 case Roe v. Wade. “Today’s decision does not affect the law here in Washington. Even my Democrat colleagues have been quick to point out that...

For a guy who recently wanted to criminalize certain false statements, Gov. Jay Inslee certainly seems to have no qualms about spreading disinformation himself. It happened again Wednesday, after the new state revenue forecast had me and our Senate Republican budget leader repeating our call for a temporary suspension of the state gas tax. Here...

A bipartisan group of Senate leaders today called on state Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler to resign, calling his actions in office “appalling” and “unacceptable,” after he fired a whistle-blower who came forward with allegations of abusive and inappropriate workplace behaviors. “The claims of inappropriate workplace conduct were disturbing on their own and called into question...

Senate Republican budget lead asks “What are we waiting for?”   OLYMPIA…The Bureau of Labor and Statistics released May 2022 inflation data today showing Washington is suffering through an annual inflation rate of 8.6 percent, meaning real worker wage growth has failed to keep up with the current record-high inflation crippling the working and middle...

OLYMPIA… A news report about threats received by the state secretary of health has Senate Republican Leader John Braun denouncing any threats against any public official. “It’s fair to question or criticize government’s response to the pandemic. Many of us have. But it’s completely unacceptable for anyone to threaten Secretary Shah, the state Board of...

OLYMPIA…Gov. Jay Inslee released his decision today to cancel the parole granted to convicted murderer Timothy Pauley by the Indeterminate Sentence Review Board. Senate Republican Leader John Braun, R-Centralia, shared his reaction. “It’s a relief that the governor came to his senses and canceled the parole order for Mr. Pauley. The governor said his decision...

OLYMPIA – As Washington state honored former U.S. Sen. Slade Gorton yesterday with a long-delayed memorial service at St. Mark’s Cathedral in Seattle, members of the Senate Republican Caucus in Olympia recalled his contributions to the state and on the national stage. Gorton, 92, died Aug. 19, 2020, after a six-decade career as one of...

OLYMPIA…Senate Republican Leader John Braun shared comments in reaction to the leaked draft majority opinion of the U.S. Supreme Court’s in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization abortion case, which proposes overturning the 1973 decision known as Roe v. Wade. “This Supreme Court opinion does not change much in our state. Democrats have been...