Statement from Executive Director Eli Taylor Goss

At the Washington State Budget and Policy Center, we want everyone in our state to live lives of joy, dignity, economic security, and self-determination. For that to happen, we need a state budget that builds the infrastructure to make that happen. In times of great uncertainty, people in Washington need to be assured that lawmakers are doing everything they can to preserve their livelihoods and support their economic well-being.

While we know that policymakers in Olympia are facing some exceedingly complex challenges with the budget this session – with a big state revenue shortfall and impending cuts at the federal level that could strike a huge blow to state programs – it is still incredibly disappointing that the governor and some lawmakers believe cuts are the primary “solution” to these challenges.

Massive cuts to critical public programs are not the way to address the revenue shortfall. Balancing the budget on the backs of hardworking people trying to afford rising housing costs, rising food costs, and rising child-care costs, is shortsighted. Rather than giving in to special interests who prefer cuts over taking care of our collective well-being, our new governor and lawmakers have an opportunity to look at the other side of the balance sheet. They can enact new progressive revenue sources to balance our budget and not only weather this shortfall, but also provide much-needed sustainability and stability in the state budget.

Proposing cuts to vital programs like food banks, breaking funding promises to child-care workers and the families who rely on them, and furloughing state workers threatens the ability for everyday Washingtonians to make ends meet. We have repeatedly learned – from studies, other states, and our own experiences right here in Washington – that we cannot cut our way to economic prosperity. It didn’t work during the Great Recession, and it won’t work now.

There are multiple proven revenue options that should be on the table this session. These include closing tax loopholes for employers of high earners, taxing extreme Wall Street wealth, and making equitable reforms to property and business & occupation taxes.

These are also the kinds of solutions that voters want. The people of Washington have made it clear that they’re tired of ultra-wealthy people and profitable corporations not paying their share of state taxes. Washington voters overwhelmingly upheld the capital gains tax and the fee on big polluters in November’s election. And a recent survey showed that 66% of respondents supported a wealth tax on Washington residents with a net worth greater than $250 million.

Making massive budget cuts when there are straightforward solutions to address the revenue crisis simply doesn’t make sense. But if lawmakers do actually want to find some places for targeted savings, they could stop courts from spending exorbitant amounts of money trying to collect fines and fees from people who are unable to pay. And they could work with community members to identify and divest from policing and carceral systems that we know perpetuate harmful and expensive mass incarceration, disproportionately harming BIPOC communities.

We are glad that House Democrats are highlighting that across-the-board cuts would be catastrophic and that the Senate Ways & Means chair is saying progressive revenue is necessary to stop such cuts. We call on the governor and all lawmakers to follow suit. They should choose a different path, reject across-the board cuts, and follow the mandate of Washington voters to enact progressive revenue.