Rep. Travis Couture responds to Gov. Ferguson’s plan to save $4 billion amid Democrat-created budget shortfall

Rep. Travis Couture, R-Allyn, and ranking Republican member on the House Appropriations Committee, issued the follow statement in response to Governor Bob Ferguson’s $4 billion in proposed spending cuts:

“I appreciate the governor’s modest progress on identifying budget savings, but these savings alone will not be enough to balance the budget without new taxes – which we strongly oppose.  The state does not have a revenue problem; it has a spending problem.  And we have already seen that higher taxes do not equal better results. I agree with the governor that ‘we need to have an honest conversation about how we got here.’ The fact is that the current budget crisis is a self-inflicted wound by the majority party.

“Last biennium, the budget spent $4.1 billion more than was collected in revenue. Over the past few years, they emptied the state’s Rainy-Day Fund and used the money to fund ongoing state programs. They also spent billions in federal COVID stimulus funds to create or expand programs now supported by state tax dollars.

“Republicans have sounded the alarm on these bad budgeting practices for years and will continue to fight for structural budget reforms that ensure taxpayer dollars are being spent wisely – not just being spent. We appreciate the governor’s effort to restore some fiscal sanity to the state budget, but we do not believe his reductions go far enough. However, we look forward to working with Governor Ferguson and Democrat budget writers to implement our savings strategies with Washington families in mind.”

House and Senate Republicans launched a new website on Thursday that provides a background on the budget deficit number, economic facts, budget facts, and proposed budget reforms.

###

Washington State House Republican Communications
houserepublicans.wa.gov