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Legislators sound alarm over 'book 1' all-cuts budget and potential service reductions
Summary
At a Capitol press availability, legislators warned that Governor Inslee's "book 1" budget assumes no new revenue and would impose deep cuts to Medicaid dental and dialysis, long-term care, higher education and some K–12 programs, prompting intense fiscal work ahead of committee cutoff.
Speaker 2 (unidentified legislator) told reporters the governor's initial budget proposal is a "book 1" that assumes no revenue and is "an all cuts budget and could presume no revenue," a framing that has dominated the Capitol's fiscal conversations this week.
The warning framed much of the press availability's discussion of competing priorities as lawmakers sift through what to preserve and what to scale back before fiscal committee deadlines. Speaker 2 listed potential hard-hit areas, saying the proposal could cut "everything from Medicaid dental care to kidney dialysis for people on Medicaid, lots of cuts to long term care services for seniors and folks with developmental disabilities and real huge reductions in terms of higher education and, even K-12." The speaker added that the budget could eliminate the senior nutrition program and scale back summer food supports for children.
Speaker 1 (unidentified legislator and member of Ways & Means) described how the chamber is processing those proposals through consecutive hearings and fiscal reviews, saying many bills that carry costs have been held in committee so the Senate can weigh options ahead of fiscal cutoff. "Every bill that we pass out of the Senate must be included in the Senate budget," Speaker 1 said, noting the Ways & Means Committee will prioritize which items to fund as members estimate available resources.
Education funding surfaced repeatedly as a pressure point: a package of three education bills (special education, student transportation, and materials/supplies/operating costs) has been heard in Ways & Means and will undergo scaling discussions. Speaker 5 predicted a special-education bill is the most likely to move, but that it could be scaled down from its original cost.
Lawmakers repeatedly emphasized the procedural constraints of a tight budget: staff are reviewing fiscal notes and supplementing testimony with cost estimates, and chairs are holding bills that carry appreciable expense until budget discussions provide clearer trade-offs. Speaker 1 said the Senate has aimed to present a full range of options at fiscal cutoff and noted that some bills may be reported out in reduced form.
The next fiscal milestones could shape which programs are preserved. For now, legislators said they are preparing to triage line items, balance competing claims for scarce resources, and weigh the political and policy consequences of trimming programs that affect veterans, seniors, students and health-care recipients.
The Senate pressed the point that while many policy proposals are advancing in committee this week, funding decisions will narrow the scope of what ultimately reaches the floor.
