Legislative budget week — the Tax Day rally
Dear Friends and Neighbors,
On Tax Day, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to speak to a large crowd of Washingtonians who came to the steps of the Capitol to protest the billions in new and higher taxes Democrats have sponsored to fund their ongoing habit of overspending your money.
And every one of those taxes is unnecessary.
Sen. Chris Gildon, Puyallup, is the Republican lead on the operating budget. He and the assistant Republican lead, Sen. Nikki Torres, Pasco, wrote a full, balanced operating budget, introduced this week as Senate Bill 5810, which balances the state’s operating budget over four years.
What it does NOT do is raise taxes or cut services.
In the meantime, Democrats are on day 15 of negotiating a state budget – in secret – that they hope the governor will agree to support. Gov. Ferguson already drew a line in the sand by saying he would not support a budget that drained the state’s “Rainy-Day Fund” or relied on any controversial, untested taxes that are likely to end up in court.
Our budget does neither of those things and could be brought to the Senate floor and passed today.
Predictably, the Democrat majority won’t even consider our budget. It is based on fiscal responsibility, removes wasteful spending, and doesn’t cost taxpayers a dime more in taxes.
That’s not the way they want to do things, and that’s bad for Washington.
Sincerely,
Sen. John Braun
Watch my weekly update from Olympia
Watch my weekly video update from Olympia. I update you about where some bad bill ideas stand at this point in the legislative process, including the largest tax increase in Washington state history.
I also explain what happened with my bill to help alleviate overcrowding at juvenile-justice facilities such as Green Hill School. House Democrat leadership played political games and the bill died as a result.
If you have questions, contact me at john.braun@leg.wa.gov.
Close to the end of session…hopefully
The end of the 2025 Legislative Session is a little more than a week away, but there is a good chance we may be called back for a special session. The governor released a statement Thursday saying that the $12 billion in taxes the Democrats just proposed is too high and unsustainable. We agree.
In fact, according to nonpartisan analysis, the taxes on the table now amount to $13.5 billion in state taxes and $5 billion in local taxes over four years. The local taxes would come from higher property taxes and sales taxes.
Since It’s been two weeks since Democrats began their budget negotiations behind closed doors, away from the public eye, and we have yet to see a final budget proposal, special session is looking more like a possibility.
Usually a special session happens because Democrats and Republicans can’t agree on something critical. This time, it’s because the Democrat majority refuses to curb their spending and their thirst for new and higher taxes.
There is a BETTER solution.
The Senate Republican budget proposal doesn’t raise a single dime in taxes and it makes no cuts to services. It is the easiest and best solution, but the majority won’t even consider it because it’s a Republican idea. We hope they come to their senses and take a good, hard look at it.
Set partisanship aside, protect the most vulnerable, and leave taxpayers alone.
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House Democrats fail those who work and live at Green Hill School
The House Democrats failed to move my bill to alleviate overcrowding at Green Hill School.
This is a dereliction of duty that leaves staff and residents at our juvenile-justice facilities in danger.
I worked with the Department of Children, Youth and Families on the bill, and the Senate passed it unanimously.