OLYMPIA…Senate Republican budget leaders have filed their no-new-taxes, no-cuts-to-services operating-budget proposal as standalone legislation.

Crafted by Sen. Chris Gildon, R-Puyallup, and Sen. Nikki Torres, R-Pasco, the Senate Republican version of a 2025-27 state operating budget is a truly viable alternative to the $78 billion Democrat budget that relies on billions in higher property taxes, business taxes, job taxes and a variety of others cost increases.

Senate Republican Leader John Braun, R-Centralia, released the following statement in support of Senate Bill 5810, which up to now had been proposed only as an amendment to the Senate Democrats’ budget.

“Democrats sure seem to love the word ‘billion.’ Their out-of-control spending on unsustainable programs has created a multibillion-dollar budget shortfall. Now, their 2025–2027 budget proposal includes billions more in new spending, ballooning state government to the largest it’s ever been. To pay for it, they’re pushing tens of billions in new and higher taxes—regressive hikes that hit working families the hardest.

“Taxpayers are exhausted. The mismanagement, the misplaced priorities, the fiscal incompetence—it’s become too much.

“Senate Republicans have a better plan. The budget introduced by Senators Gildon and Torres gives taxpayers a much-needed break. Our proposal includes no new taxes. None. Because the last thing families need right now is government reaching deeper into their pockets.

“This year, we’ve heard from countless constituents who fear that the tax hikes Democrats are demanding will push them onto welfare—or into homelessness. And when you look at what Democrats are actually prioritizing in their spending, it’s even more alarming.

“Their budget priorities are misguided and unfair, and what they fail to acknowledge is the real economic harm their approach would do. Their ‘gimme more’ game plan risks driving out affordable housing, killing family-wage jobs, and stifling investment in our region.

“If we want to tackle the high cost of living in Washington, the answer is simple: stop making it more expensive.”