Democrats release details of what ‘all cuts’ budget could look like in Washington

Democratic lawmakers are highlighting a plan to balance Washington’s budget with no tax increases, arguing that deep cuts will harm Washingtonians served by state programs, including in health care and higher education.

Republicans, however, say the numbers just show Democrats have been overspending for years. They stress that whatever harm may come from cuts would pale to the burden caused by raising taxes.

The proposal with no tax boosts, which the party published on a new website focused on their balancing the budget, was compiled by former Gov. Jay Inslee prior to his departure from office. State law requires the governor to propose a spending plan without new taxes. Inslee also released his preferred plan for balancing the budget, which centered on new revenue, including a “wealth tax.”

“This is really stark stuff. Everyone in this state will be impacted,” Rep. Timm Ormsby, D-Spokane, chair of the Appropriations Committee, said in a statement Monday. “All of us know someone who needs help once in a while. If we have to make these kinds of cuts, that help probably isn’t going to be there anymore.”

According to the Democrats, the plan without new taxes calls for slashing a wide array of state programs, including a $3.5 billion cut to health care, a $1.3 billion cut to human services and early learning, $1.1 billion to higher education and a $365 million cut to behavioral health, among others.

“These cuts would be devastating for our higher education system, our funding for human services, our funding for many, many health care services, for public health services, and for long-term care,” Speaker of the House Laurie Jinkins, D-Tacoma, said in a statement Monday. “Only 20-25% of the budget is actually available to cut, and all of those programs and services are in that 20-25%. So, when you have a large dollar amount where you’re out of balance and you have to capture savings in just a few areas, it means that the cuts can be very, very big in those areas.”

Under the plan, the state would eliminate a wide array of health care-related funding, including Medicaid Pharmacy coverage for preferred drugs, the Children’s Health Insurance Program and state-funded prenatal care.

Legislators continue to look for avenues to address a budget deficit the Office of Financial Management projects at $12.6 billion over the next four years. To save approximately $4 billion, Gov. Bob Ferguson has called on most state agencies to cut their budgets by 6%, though public safety is exempt from the cuts.

Ferguson is set to hold a news conference Thursday to detail the cuts agencies have proposed. Last week, Ferguson canceled a trip to a meeting of the country’s governors in Washington, D.C., to continue discussions with budget staff.

Sen. Chris Gildon, R-Puyallup, the ranking member for the operating budget on the Senate Ways and Means Committee, said Tuesday that the governor’s decision to stay in Washington state was “commendable” and “the right thing to do.”

Ferguson has called on lawmakers to “scrub” the budget before they consider any new tax proposals, and has begun to highlight some of the savings his office has implemented. On Monday, Ferguson tweeted that his office canceled an order to replace the carpeting in the governor’s office in the state Capitol, which he said would save $70,000. The order for new carpeting, Ferguson said, was placed last year.

“That’s just one example of how thorough my team has been scouring state spending. This work is critical in the face of the biggest deficit in state history,” Ferguson tweeted. “We must ensure we are being good stewards of the people’s resources.”

Republican lawmakers, meanwhile, said Tuesday that the proposed cuts released by House Democrats show mismanagement in a state government where the party controls both legislative chambers and the governor’s mansion.

Rep. Chris Corry, R-Yakima, said the all-cuts spending plan is a “masquerade” to cover for the Democratic majority’s overspending.

“There’s no other way to put it. We’ve been warning them for years that you cannot continue to spend more money than you take in,” Corry said.

Corry added that with continued revenue growth, Democrats should focus on areas where they can slow or delay spending.

“That would end up taking a huge bite out of this supposed deficit,” Corry said. “All in all, it’s a website that I’m surprised they put up, because it just highlights how they cannot seem to manage the financial status of Washington state.”

Gildon added Tuesday that he remains skeptical the budget deficit is truly around $12 billion, saying Tuesday that the figure has fluctuated over time and that nonpartisan staff have estimated the figure at approximately $6.7 billion over four years.

The figure, Gildon said, is based on current spending levels and does not account for additional spending the Legislature has approved.