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Approximately 1 million Washingtonians receive SNAP benefits

OLYMPIA – Governor Bob Ferguson today detailed the devastating impacts of the reconciliation bill in Congress on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Each of the 1 million Washingtonians who receive assistance from SNAP will see their benefits reduced under the reconciliation bill that passed out of Congress today. In addition, more than 130,000 Washingtonians could lose their benefits altogether.

“This bill takes food from our most vulnerable Washingtonians to give tax breaks to the ultra-wealthy,” Ferguson said. “This bill is only beautiful to billionaires.”

Approximately 1 million Washingtonians use SNAP benefits every month to purchase food. The reconciliation bill reduces SNAP benefits to the average household under the Thrifty Food Plan by about $56 per month. It also decreases the maximum allotment per household. For example, the maximum allotment for a family of four would drop from $975 to $848.

The bill also means more than 130,000 Washingtonians will need to meet new work requirements to keep their SNAP benefits.

The cuts will also likely ripple through the Washington economy. According to United States Department of Agriculture estimates, each dollar from the SNAP program produces more than $1.50 in economic activity at grocery stores, farmers markets and more.

In addition, the state would be on the hook for an additional $87.8 million in administrative costs associate with the program. The bill also increases Washington’s cost share of benefits by, at a minimum, more than $100 million.

Washington among states hit hardest, with hundreds of thousands of Washingtonians losing health coverage

OLYMPIA — Governor Bob Ferguson denounced unprecedented cuts to Medicaid, approved by Congressional Republicans on Thursday, that will fundamentally alter Washington’s health care system and result in hundreds of thousands of Washingtonians losing their health care.

Republicans in Congress approved $1 trillion in Medicaid cuts over the next 10 years, the largest cut to Medicaid in history, according to health policy research group Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF). The bill threatens health care access in Washington, especially in rural areas, and will cause Washington state to lose at least $1.5 billion in hospital reimbursements by 2031.

Washington’s U.S. Reps. Dan Newhouse and Michael Baumgartner voted in favor of the cruel cuts, which will disproportionately affect their constituents in Eastern and Central Washington. Between these two districts, more than 500,000 people in Central and Eastern Washington are on Medicaid. 

Medicaid is a critical partnership between federal and state governments. Right now, nearly 2 million Washingtonians — roughly 1 in 5 — are enrolled in Apple Health, the state’s Medicaid program.

Washington spends $21 billion on Medicaid annually, $13 billion of which is paid by the federal government. KFF estimates Washington will lose between $31 billion and $51 billion in federal Medicaid dollars over the next 10 years, or at least $3 billion per year.

“It is impossible to overstate just how devastating this legislation will be for Washingtonians,” Governor Ferguson said. “This morally bankrupt decision will cause our most vulnerable Washingtonians to lose their health care coverage and likely force hospital closures across the state, all to pay for tax breaks for the richest Americans.”

These cuts will likely result in rural and urban hospital closures.

At least 250,000 Washingtonians will lose Medicaid coverage. In addition, as many as 150,000 Washingtonians will be priced out of the state’s health care exchange.

These cuts effectively reverse any progress made to expand coverage under the Affordable Care Act. Last year, Washington had an uninsured rate of 4.8%, the lowest in the country. These cuts will balloon that number into double digits. 

An analysis of the cuts from KFF found that Washington will be among the states hit hardest, estimating the state will lose an estimated 26% of its Medicaid enrollment.

Children will be particularly impacted by Medicaid cuts. Statewide, 800,000 children rely on Medicaid for their health care coverage. In 26 of Washington’s 39 counties, more than half of all children are covered by Medicaid. In Central Washington, 70 percent of all children are enrolled in Medicaid. In some counties, that number is even greater. For example, approximately 80 percent of kids in Yakima County and approximately 90 percent of kids in Adams County are on Medicaid.

Moreover, 70 percent of all births in rural Washington are covered by the program. Medicaid enrollees account for nearly half — 45 percent — of all births statewide.

Other vulnerable populations will also be significantly impacted. More than 105,000 Washingtonians depend on Medicaid for long-term care, and the program covers 3 in 5 nursing home residents and 3 in 8 people with disabilities. Medicaid is also the largest payer for opioid use disorder treatment in the state.

These cuts to Medicaid will not only impact enrollees in the program. The new law will decimate federal funding for Medicaid over the next five years — fundamentally altering the state’s health care system and how Washington administers Apple Health. This administrative burden is expected to cost the state tens of millions of dollars, at a time when the state faces significant budget challenges.

OLYMPIA — Governor Bob Ferguson today detailed the devastating impacts of Donald Trump’s reconciliation bill on Washington’s clean economy, environment and energy future.

The bill passed out of Congress today puts at least $8.7 billion in Washington’s clean energy investments at risk.

Under the bill, Republicans voted to phase out federal incentives for wind, solar and other clean technologies by 2028. Meanwhile, they maintained and expanded subsidies for fossil fuel industries.

“This bill is anything but beautiful for Washington. It’s a fossil fuel wish list that penalizes clean energy and favors pollution,” Governor Ferguson said. “Donald Trump and the MAGA Congress are dismantling the very incentives that have powered innovation, created jobs, lowered electricity costs and protected the environment. At a time when we should be advancing clean energy, these rollbacks are a disastrous step in the wrong direction.”

The U.S. Climate Alliance estimates 21,800 Washingtonians will lose their jobs by 2030 due to the reconciliation bill’s reduction in clean energy and manufacturing tax credits.

The legislation threatens Washington’s energy security and electric grid reliability by stifling solar, wind and battery resources at a time of soaring electricity demand. The U.S. Climate Alliance estimates the bill’s removal of wind and solar energy tax credits will raise Washington households’ electricity costs by $115 per year by 2029.

President Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ bans all Medicaid funding for Planned Parenthood for a year

SEATTLE — Governor Bob Ferguson announced today that Washington state will cover the gap caused by the federal government’s defunding of Planned Parenthood.

On July 4, President Donald Trump signed the so-called “Big Beautiful Bill,” which included a one-year moratorium on Medicaid funding for Planned Parenthood that went into effect as soon as the bill was signed.

Medicaid is one of the primary payers for Planned Parenthood, covering services including preventative care and cancer screenings. Medicaid Funds cannot be used to pay for abortion services.

In Washington, Planned Parenthood receives at least $22 million a year in Medicaid funding, which includes at least $11 million from the federal government. It is one of Washington’s preeminent Medicaid providers.

Planned Parenthood is currently in court challenging the federal cut to their funding. If that litigation is not successful, Governor Ferguson will make state funding available to cover the gap to ensure Washingtonians continue to have access to this important care.

“This is a blatantly political, cruel attack on reproductive rights — a common theme within the Trump Administration,” Governor Ferguson said. “The real victims are Washingtonians who will lose their health care provider. I will not allow that to happen. While we have a very challenging budget in Washington, and cannot backfill every cut in this Big Betrayal Bill, we must step into this temporary gap to ensure women continue to have access to critical health care.”

The provision defunding Planned Parenthood was part of the unprecedented cuts to Medicaid that Congressional Republicans narrowly passed with a tie-breaking vote from the vice president, in order to fund tax breaks for billionaires. They include $1 trillion in Medicaid cuts over the next 10 years, the largest cut to the program in history. That includes at least $3 billion in cuts to Washington per year.

In Washington, these cuts will cause at least 250,000 Washingtonians to lose Medicaid coverage and as many as 150,000 Washingtonians to be priced out of the state’s health care exchange. Washington state will also lose at least $1.5 billion in hospital reimbursements by 2031.

Right now, approximately a quarter of Washingtonians are on Medicaid. In 26 of Washington’s 39 counties, more than half of all children are covered by Medicaid.

Washington’s U.S. Reps. Dan Newhouse and Michael Baumgartner voted in favor of the cuts, which will disproportionately affect their constituents in Eastern and Central Washington. Between these two districts, more than 500,000 people in Central and Eastern Washington are on Medicaid.

Trump’s bill also included cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. Approximately 1 million Washingtonians use SNAP benefits to purchase food. All of them will see their benefits reduced, and more than 130,000 Washingtonians could lose their benefits altogether.  

Dibble joins the Spokane County bench after nearly 25-year career, including 15 years at the Attorney General’s Office in Spokane

OLYMPIA – Today Governor Bob Ferguson announced the appointment of Candie M. Dibble to the Spokane County Superior Court. Dibble’s appointment, effective July 10, fills the position being vacated by Judge Raymond F. Clary, who resigned from the bench effective June 30, 2025.

Dibble is a career public servant with nearly 25 years of experience as a prosecutor, administrative law judge, compliance coordinator and assistant attorney general. Dibble has served as senior counsel for the Corrections Division of the Attorney General’s Office in Spokane since 2010, co-leading a team of attorneys for the Corrections Civil Rights Unit. Dibble represented the Washington Department of Corrections, serving as lead counsel advising on state and federal constitutional conditions of confinement and other issues of statewide importance.

For 17 years, Dibble has focused on civil rights defense, work that allowed her to make impactful changes to conditions of confinement for incarcerated individuals and facilitate their access to justice.

“Candie Dibble has deep roots in Spokane doing exceptional work on behalf of Washingtonians,” Governor Ferguson said. “Her expertise and passion for public service will serve Washington well on the Spokane County Superior Court.”

“It has been a privilege to serve with Washington’s hardest working public servants, dedicated to providing high quality legal service with civility and fairness,” Dibble said. “I am grateful for the opportunity to carry these qualities forward to the Spokane Superior Court.”

Earlier in her career, Dibble served as an administrative law judge in Delaware, spent two years in private practice at a law firm in Mississippi, and served as an assistant solicitor in South Carolina.

Outside the courtroom, Dibble has volunteered her time advocating for military families, including working to promote easier access to employment opportunities for military spouses.

Dibble earned her bachelor’s degree at Purdue University and her law degree from Indiana University School of Law.