Friends,

In Olympia, it seems that basic math has become an elusive skill. If you’ve been following recent budget discussions, you’ve likely heard dire warnings of a looming $15 billion deficit. The media dutifully echoes this figure, and my colleagues across the aisle insist the sky is falling. But here’s the reality: Washington State is actually facing a $7 billion shortfall over the next four years, not $15 billion. So where does that extra $8 billion in so-called ‘shortfall’ come from? You guessed it—new spending that Democrats have tacked on, as if that money already exists.

It’s a classic case of bad math. If you decide to buy a brand-new sports car and then realize you can’t afford it, that’s not a budget shortfall, it’s a spending problem. Yet, this is exactly the logic being used by those pushing for massive tax increases. Instead of crafting a budget that aligns with real revenue projections, they’ve chosen to inflate spending and then claim there’s a crisis when the numbers don’t add up.

The Republican Alternative: Responsible Growth

Senate Republicans have put forward a budget that not only preserves essential services but also invests in education and public safety all without resorting to economically harmful tax hikes. Our proposal grows the budget responsibly, within actual revenue projections, ensuring Washington families and businesses aren’t burdened with unnecessary new taxes.

We’ve proven that it’s possible to fund education, healthcare, and public safety without resorting to a wealth tax or increasing property and payroll taxes on hardworking Washingtonians. Families and businesses are already feeling the pinch of inflation, and the last thing they need is a government that refuses to live within its means.

The Consequences of the Majority’s Approach

After doubling the budget in the last ten years and continually kicking the can of funding down the road, the bill has come due. Instead of addressing this responsibly, the majority party has chosen to make cuts to vital services pediatric dentistry, college grants, and state employee pay while simultaneously imposing the largest property tax increase in state history. They justify this by labeling these taxes as “progressive,” but raising fees on snowmobiles, hunting and fishing licenses, and the Discover Pass disproportionately impacts the middle class and working families. In total, the sum of these new taxes and fees quickly approaches $20 billion. So, apparently, Olympia uses multiplication instead of addition and justification instead of common sense.

Even Governor Ferguson Agrees: Too Much Tax, Too Much Risk

Even Governor Bob Ferguson, who is certainly no fiscal conservative, has rejected the budgets proposed by House and Senate Democrats, citing excessive taxation and the legal uncertainty of their centerpiece, the wealth tax. In his words, neither proposal “is close to one that I can sign.” He specifically called out the reliance on a wealth tax as “novel, untested, difficult to implement,” and likely to be struck down in court.
Ferguson has also warned of potential federal funding cuts under the Trump administration, urging lawmakers to prepare for leaner budgets in the years ahead. A responsible state government should not hinge its financial future on untested tax schemes or wishful thinking about revenues that may never materialize.

The Path Forward

The choice is clear: we can continue down the path of reckless spending, creating a fiscal crisis of our own making, or we can pass a budget that is based on real numbers, real priorities, and real sustainability. The Republican budget proves that math isn’t hard—it just requires honesty, discipline, and a commitment to serving the people of Washington responsibly.

Unless we, as a constituency, speak up, like the 43,000 Washingtonians who testified against the property tax hike, we will quickly find our state unaffordable. Math isn’t hard, but Olympia sure makes it seem that way when trying to justify more taxes.
Sincerely,

Senator Ron Muzzall
10th Legislative District