WATCH: Republican pitches “Working Class Budget” as solution to WA deficit

(The Center Square) – Less than a month before the 2026 legislative session, Republican state lawmakers are proposing cutting $3.7 billion for the next fiscal budget, but did not yet release any specifics about how many jobs, programs or what areas they plan to target.

An early December presentation from The Office of Program Research (OPR) shows that Washington faces a projected $4.3 billion deficit for the 2027-29 biennium, assuming current spending levels remain the same.

Though Governor Bob Ferguson has recently stated he will be looking at an “all cuts” budget, majority Democrats have floated a number of new taxing proposals to include a potential income tax on high wage earners and a payroll tax.

The Center Square got a preview of the proposal from House Republicans to avo...