WASHINGTON STATE

Washington State House Democrats

HOUSE DEMOCRATS

Dem budget leaders support reductions to address economic impacts of COVID-19

Rep. Timm Ormsby (D-Spokane) and Sen. Christine Rolfes (D-Kitsap County) issued the statement below in support of Gov. Jay Inslee’s decision to veto parts of the 2020 supplemental operating budget to better reflect the state’s current economic situation:

“We support Gov. Inslee’s decision to veto sections of the 2020 supplemental operating budget along with a number of policy bills that also drove additional costs. While these reductions may be difficult, they are necessary to help address the sudden and dramatic change to our state’s fiscal situation and to maintain focus on the state’s response to the COVID-19 outbreak.

“The health and safety of all Washingtonians is paramount, and these reductions will help our state remain nimble as we face declining revenues. Our shared goal is to align our state for an economic recovery and we have a strong foundation on which to rebuild.

“We will continue to take a collaborative, bipartisan approach in addressing the health and economic impacts of this pandemic, as we did at the end of the session with a $200 million emergency funding package.

“It will be hard, but Washington will get through this. We will do everything in our power to emerge quickly from this crisis, help people get back to work and reignite our economy.”