Those of us who take to heart President Lincoln’s words that government is “of the people” appreciate being asked to offer a forecast of an upcoming legislative session.
Our constituents and others, such as the news media and business and local-government leaders around the state, deserve to know what we want to accomplish at the state Capitol during the 2025 session, which convened Jan. 13.
It’s also good to offer a heads-up about what may be coming their way – like the plan for tax increases already floated by our Democratic colleagues, which is intended to prop up a state budget inflated by years of overspending.
Senate Republicans have gone into the 2025 legislative session with three familiar priorities, which reflect the concerns we continue to hear from the people we are honored to represent.
We want a safer Washington. This year, our work toward that will include promoting policies aimed at enabling a swift, effective response from police and reforming the broken juvenile-justice system. It also means making laws that do more to deter crime and hold lawbreakers accountable.
We want an affordable Washington. Our Democratic colleagues clearly have trouble understanding that there is such a thing as excessive taxation, as demonstrated by the big package of new and higher taxes we expect them to push in 2025. I’ll get back to that.
On top of that, we have seen how far Democrats are willing to go to jeopardize access to natural gas and how little they seem to worry about having a reliable power grid. For that reason, energy policies will be more prominent as we work to control and lower the cost of living in Washington.
Our third priority is to work for a better future for Washington’s children.
We believe a good education and good health are essential to that – but unlike our colleagues in the majority, Republicans are opposed to using funding for our public schools as an excuse to raise taxes. State government already takes in more than enough money to fully fund schools, and as the paramount duty, K-12 should never have to rely on new taxes for support.
Also, while the Legislature’s approval of the parental-rights initiative this past year was good for parents and students, we must be on guard against continuing efforts to infringe on parental rights and local control of schools.
In addition to these top-line priorities, the people of our state can also expect Senate Republicans to keep advocating for policies that protect our most vulnerable residents and preserve Washington’s strengths in technology, industry and agriculture.
We expect a push from Democrats for new and higher taxes because lawmakers are facing a budget deficit for the first time in about a dozen years. But to be clear, the cause is years of overspending, not something like a recession or a drop in revenue.
Our non-partisan Senate budget staff estimates the gap at around $6.7 billion over the next four years. That seems credible. Our Democratic colleagues, however, keep saying the shortfall is $12 billion. The difference is important, because a smaller number undermines their plan to pursue large tax increases – and supports our intent to close the gap only through savings and efficiencies.
Because of an email flub, we’ve seen the Democrats’ tax plan. Besides listing nine new taxes or tax increases totaling around $15 billion over the next four years, it also suggests vilifying Washington’s “wealthy few” as a promotional strategy.
So far, it doesn’t seem Washington’s new governor would support such a plan. In his Jan. 15 inaugural address, Bob Ferguson vowed to pursue spending reductions ahead of new or higher taxes. If he keeps that promise, he will find allies on the Republican side of the aisle.
Hard decisions will need to be made before legislators adjourn in late April, but Republicans are ready. This is the time to make our state better.
— Sen. John Braun of Centralia serves the 20th Legislative District, which spans parts of four counties from Yelm to Vancouver. He became Senate Republican leader in 2020.
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