Rep. Peter Abbarno: Washington must spend within its means
Washington’s budget isn’t in trouble because we have too little money. It’s in trouble because we keep spending as if growth will never slow down.
According to the latest state budget outlook, Washington’s revenue picture is headed in the wrong direction. The November forecast shows the state will bring in about $66 million less over the next several years than expected just two months ago. Revenue growth is cooling, and the slide is becoming impossible to ignore — even as overall collections remain higher than they were just a few years ago.
The problem isn’t revenue; it’s discipline. The majority keeps layering on expensive, unsustainable programs without a stable way to pay for them. When the numbers don’t add up, they rely on budget maneuvers and new taxes to cover the gap — not better management or smarter spending.
Responsible governance means adjusting when the economy does, not pretending we can outspend a slowdown.
Strong tax collections during the pandemic helped fill the state’s coffers, but that surge has passed. The state’s own economists are warning that consumer spending is softening and the broader economy is losing steam. This should be our signal to plan carefully, not push ahead with more spending and hope the next windfall arrives.
When people ask what I’d cut, my answer is simple: I wouldn’t have created the problem in the first place. I voted against new spending that went beyond available revenue. We could have stayed within the 2023–25 operating budget, preserved reserves for the future, and focused on trimming the fastest-growing costs in state government — layers of bureaucracy that add little value to the public. When revenues slow, the right response isn’t to invent new taxes or launch new programs; it’s to make intentional choices about priorities.
Unfortunately, the majority party has taken a different path. Their instinct has been to raise more taxes and fees rather than manage what we already have. Even the Governor’s Office identified billions in potential savings, yet when the time came to act, those savings were ignored.
There are practical ways to rein in costs without touching core services. House Republicans proposed common-sense steps: pausing non-essential program expansions until revenue stabilizes, cutting back on out-of-state travel and expensive equipment purchases, and reviewing costly settlements that drain funds away from services families rely on. These aren’t partisan ideas — they’re the same adjustments any household or small business would make when the economy tightens.
When government spending grows faster than revenue, you and I pay the price. Taxes creep up, inflation pressures mount, and there’s less flexibility when the next downturn hits. Fiscal discipline isn’t about numbers on a spreadsheet — it’s about values. It shows whether state leaders respect taxpayers, safeguard affordability, and protect essential services over political wish lists.
Right now, Olympia doesn’t face a revenue crisis; it faces a priorities crisis. It’s hard to claim “budget shortfalls” while approving $3 billion in new salary increases for government employees and cutting that same amount from agencies that serve vulnerable children, seniors, and patients.
Democrats in Olympia gave government employees a raise while cutting Medicaid spending. While the Olympia government was taken care of, Democrats raised taxes on fuel, groceries, child care centers, and health care facilities.
Washington’s revenue is still better than it was a few years ago. That’s the good news. But with slower growth ahead, Olympia can’t keep assuming the boom will last. The revenue forecast already predicts ZERO job growth for 2026.
Now is the time for restraint, balance, and a renewed respect for the people footing the bill.
As your representative, I’ll keep fighting for a budget that lives within its means — one that eliminates waste, strengthens essential services, and keeps Washington affordable for the families who call it home.
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Rep. Peter Abbarno, R-Chehalis, represents the 20th Legislative District and is the House Republican Caucus Chair.
As published in The Chronicle
