Sen. Matt Boehnke, R-Kennewick/Credit: Washington State Senate
OLYMPIA… Sen. Matt Boehnke joined Senate Republicans today in voting against Senate Bill 5167, the majority Democrats’ 2025-27 operating budget, which dramatically increases state spending and relies on the largest set of tax hikes in Washington State history.
Prior to adopting their $78.5 billion budget proposal, majority Democrats rejected the Senate Republicans’ $ave Washington approach, which would have balanced the budget without raising taxes or cutting essential services. That plan was voted down along party lines, 30-19.
Despite bipartisan opposition, the Senate budget was passed 28-21. Once the House adopts an operating budget, which is expected to happen Monday, budget leaders from the two chambers will meet to work on a compromise version.
Senator Boehnke, R-Kennewick and Ranking Member on the Senate Environment, Energy and Technology Committee, issued this statement:
“The budget passed by the Democrats today would cut support for child care, force an increase in tuition at our state-run colleges and universities, raise the costs of hunting and fishing licenses and the Discover Pass, reduce the pay of state employees through furloughs, and more – all while increasing taxes by a record $21 billion. And they adopted that budget after voting down the budget we proposed, even though our plan didn’t require a single tax increase or make a single service cut yet supports K-12 education and other priorities we all share.
“A responsible budget isn’t just about how much we spend—it’s about setting the right priorities, and the priorities in the majority’s budget are clearly wrong. It’s more than just the tax hikes and cuts; they would almost completely drain the state’s rainy-day fund, even though our state is not in a recession and revenues are still on the rise. The budget we offered is focused on preserving core services, and the complete lack of tax increases ensures fiscal responsibility. That’s real value for Washingtonians, and the better way for our state. Fortunately, the Senate budget isn’t the final version, and there is still time for some sanity to overcome the tax madness we’re seeing from the Democrats.”
The 105-day legislative session began Jan. 13 and is scheduled to conclude on April 27.
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