Ferguson proposes $4B in cuts to Washington state budget
Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson has a plan for about $7 billion in budget cuts, but he and Democrats in the Legislature have a ways to go before they solve a shortfall that may be more than double that size.
The governor presented $4 billion in new reductions on Thursday and said he supports another $3 billion in savings former Gov. Jay Inslee proposed in December. This scrub is Ferguson’s first step in addressing an operating budget deficit that Democratic lawmakers say is roughly $12 billion over the next four years. Ferguson pegged the number higher, at $15 billion.
That leaves a gap somewhere in the ballpark of $5 billion to $8 billion that would need to be closed with reductions, spending delays, or new tax collections. An updated state revenue forecast expected in March could either help or hurt that outlook.
Washington’s current two-year budget is around $70 billion.
https://washingtonstatestandard.com/2025/02/27/ferguson-outlines-plan-for-nearly-4b-in-cuts-to-washington-state-budget/