News Search

OLYMPIA — Governor Bob Ferguson issued the following statement in response to a social media post by President Donald Trump threatening to “withhold all federal funding” from any state that allows so-called “sanctuary cities”:

“This is exactly the issue I talked about at my press conference nine days ago. We have a $16 billion budget shortfall, and are facing escalating threats from the federal government. Federal dollars make up 28 percent of our state’s budget — $43 billion per biennium. The threats to our federal funding are very real.

“The Keep Washington Working Act is consistent with — and requires compliance with — binding federal law. It allows our state and local jurisdictions to prioritize limited law enforcement resources. We are confident we can defend it in court. However, Donald Trump has shown he does not care about the law.

“My team and I are working closely with the Attorney General’s Office to defend our state from unlawful federal actions. I am not going to allow the federal government to arbitrarily and unlawfully withhold funds that support individuals on Medicaid, our education system, child welfare, emergency relief and so much more.

“This statement from the president underscores the need to engage in serious planning now, while the Legislature is in session, to prepare for ongoing and significant threats to our federal funding.”

OLYMPIA — Governor Bob Ferguson offered the following statement in response to the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s denial of Washington’s application for federal disaster relief to assist with the estimated $34 million in damage from November’s storms:

“There are very clear criteria to qualify for these emergency relief funds. Washington’s application met all of them. This is another troubling example of the federal government withholding funding. Washington communities have been waiting for months for the resources they need to fully recover from last winter’s devastating storms, and this decision will cause further delay. We will appeal.”

A series of storms hit Washington in November last year, including a “bomb cyclone,” causing widespread damage across multiple counties and claiming two lives. Former Governor Jay Inslee initially declared a disaster in nine counties in response to the storms: Clallam, Grays Harbor, Island, King, Pacific, Snohomish, Wahkiakum, Walla Walla and Whatcom. Governor Ferguson expanded the declaration to include two additional counties — Chelan and Jefferson — after the full extent of the damage became known.

Washington applied for federal disaster relief funds for FEMA in January to repair damage including to public highways, public utilities and electrical power systems. Three months later, FEMA responded on Friday denying the application without explanation.

FEMA’s public assistance programs reimburse at least 75% of eligible costs related to a declared disaster. Washington’s preliminary damage estimate is $34 million. This number will likely increase as the state works with counties to update their information for an appeal.

Washington has 30 days to submit its appeal.

OLYMPIA — Governor Bob Ferguson offered the following statement on the Legislature’s proposal for $12 billion in taxes:

“I thank legislators for their hard work as we balance a budget with a $16 billion shortfall. While our budget situation is currently challenging, it may soon become dire with additional cuts and chaos from the Trump Administration. We must defend Washington in the face of that.

“Federal funds make up 28 percent of our state budget. That includes billions of dollars for Medicaid, K-12 education, child welfare and early learning, disaster recovery and response, unemployment insurance and more. Every day, funding is canceled, frozen or denied by the Trump Administration and Elon Musk. Last week, FEMA denied our request for emergency relief funds for November’s bomb cyclone. We don’t know exactly why — they did not offer a reason — but we know we met the criteria set out for this funding. The administration is attempting to cut $160 million in public health funding.

“Significant federal cuts loom for Medicaid, early learning, K-12 education, scientific research, health care and emergency response.

“Families are also bearing the burden of the Trump Administration’s tariffs, making everything from groceries to car repairs more expensive. Tariffs will hit Washington — one of the most trade dependent states in the nation — especially hard. Nearly $120 billion in exports and imports flowed through Washington state ports last year. Approximately 40 percent of our jobs are tied to trade. Tariffs on our biggest trading partners will be damaging to our economy, and particularly hurt our farmers.

“We must ensure Washington is in the best possible financial position to weather more cuts and damaging economic policies from a Trump Administration that weaponizes funding to punish those it disagrees with and forces them into compromising their values.

“We need a balanced approach, using a reasonable amount of progressive revenue and adopting solutions to reduce our spending.

“At a time of great economic uncertainty and assaults by the Trump Administration on core state services for working families, raising $12 billion in taxes is unsustainable, too risky and fails to adequately prepare Washington state for the crisis that looms ahead.

“That said, the Legislature has made progress on key issues in its updated revenue proposals. Legislators are working hard and putting in long hours. They have moved away from their reliance on an untested wealth tax and made progress on addressing our regressive tax system.

“We will continue to work together to produce a budget that supports a strong economy, and the people of Washington.”

OLYMPIA — Today, Governor Bob Ferguson signed into law a bill that restricts out-of-state military forces from entering Washington.

House Bill 1321, sponsored by Rep. Sharlett Mena (D-Tacoma), requires the Governor’s permission for National Guard troops from other states, territories or districts to enter Washington, unless they are mobilized by the president. Governor Ferguson mentioned the proposal in his inaugural address.

Other states have similar laws, including Montana and Texas. HB 1321 was modeled after a similar law in Idaho.

The new Washington law contains an emergency clause and takes effect immediately.

“We welcome collaboration with National Guard forces when warranted, but only with our permission,” Governor Ferguson said. “We cannot have armed forces come into our state to enforce policies that are against our core values. I appreciated Rep. Mena’s leadership in bringing this important legislation to my desk.”

“This law ensures that Washington — not other states — decides what happens in our communities,” said Rep. Mena. “It protects us from unauthorized and unaccountable military actions.”

National Guard military forces serve each state, as well as the District of Columbia and the U.S. territories of Guam, the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. The National Guard is under command of each state or territory’s governor. Governors can deploy the National Guard for domestic emergencies in their state. Forces may also be deployed by the president for federal missions.

The new law does not restrict the National Guard from supporting disaster response and recovery efforts through mutual-aid agreements.

Washington’s National Guard can continue to train with units from other states and deploy domestically or internationally, when units from across the nation are called upon.

Washington can also continue to share resources for training, education and professional development of National Guard members with other states.

Watch Governor Ferguson’s remarks and bill signing here.

Key priorities laid out by Governor Ferguson adopted in budget

OLYMPIA — Governor Bob Ferguson offered the following statement on the conclusion of the 2025 legislative session:

“I want to thank our legislators, staff and my team, for all their hard work this session as we faced a $16 billion budget shortfall. I look forward to carefully reviewing the budgets line by line over the next few weeks. When that review is complete, I will share my thoughts with the public in greater detail.

“Beginning with my inaugural address, I’ve emphasized that we must use realistic revenue projections, preserve our Rainy Day Fund reserves, find billions of dollars in savings and efficiencies, include a $100 million grant program for more law enforcement officers, increase investment in affordable housing, and increase the percentage of our budget devoted to K-12 education. The budgets adopted by the Legislature accomplish those goals.

“Throughout this budget process, I have also insisted that the Legislature take a balanced approach to solving the $16 billion shortfall. That is why I rejected an initial proposal to raise $21 billion in taxes. I then rejected a subsequent $12 billion tax proposal as unsustainable. I appreciate that the Legislature heard my concerns and dramatically reduced the revenue assumed in the final budget. That said, I intend to carefully review all revenue increases. 

Preparing for the Trump Administration by protecting reserves

“I appreciate that the budget, at my insistence, protects our Rainy Day Fund. Federal funding makes up 28 percent of our state budget. The Trump Administration is weaponizing funding to punish those it disagrees with to force them into compromising their values.

“Throughout the session, I emphasized the need to budget in a way that prepares for this. This session, we made real progress to ensure we are in a strong position to protect our progressive values against this assault.

“We will continue to work to ensure that we are protecting the most vulnerable in our state as the Trump Administration will doubtless continue its cuts and harmful economic policies. Maintaining our Rainy Day Fund reserves will help us weather this storm. I am not going to allow the state that I love to be at the financial mercy of Donald Trump and Elon Musk.

Billions of dollars in savings, and changing the way we budget

“The Legislature adopted most of the $4 billion in savings my team identified 43 days into my administration.

“I insisted on a spending plan based on the actual projections provided by our Economic and Revenue Forecast Council, rather than spending based on the 4.5% revenue growth allowed in state law. The Legislature adopted this approach.

Upholding our paramount duty by increasing investment in K-12 education

“When I campaigned for governor, I promised to increase the percent of our general fund devoted to our K-12 system. This operating budget meets that goal. Additionally, it improves special education funding and helps school districts meet their most critical needs.

Priority legislation crossed the finish line

“Several of the bipartisan proposals I highlighted in my inaugural address made it to the finish line this session. Rep. Tom Dent’s bill to get Washington farmers the fuel exemptions they were promised under the Climate Commitment Act, Rep. Lisa Callan’s proposal to improve youth mental health, and Rep. Sharlett Mena’s legislation to keep other states’ National Guard units from entering our state without our permission, will all become law.

“I’m especially proud of the bipartisan work that went into House Bill 2015, which will provide $100 million in grants to local law enforcement agencies. In my inaugural address, I made it clear that I would not sign a budget that did not include this funding. We rank 50th — last — per capita, in number of law enforcement officers. Getting $100 million grants in the hands of local law enforcement agencies to help them hire well-trained officers was a key piece of my campaign for governor. The final bill represents an important step forward in our work to improve public safety for all Washingtonians.

“Thank you to Rep. Debra Entenman for sponsoring this proposal, and to Sen. Jeff Holy for sponsoring the original version. A special thank you to Sen. Manka Dhingra and Rep. Kristine Reeves for their leadership and advocacy as the bill moved forward.

Bipartisan capital budget invests in housing

“In my inaugural address, I also emphasized the need to improve housing supply and affordability. Our bipartisan capital budget makes the largest investment in state history in the Housing Trust Fund, which provides the money needed to build homes for those most in need. We made new laws to speed up the permitting process for housing, removed barriers to rehabilitating existing structures, helped manufactured housing residents become homeowners, and opened up opportunities for Public Housing Authorities to partner with private entities to create more affordable housing. 

Bipartisan transportation budget

“I appreciate the Legislature’s work on a bipartisan transportation budget. This budget shows restraint by temporarily delaying some projects, while making responsible investments in overdue maintenance and preservation, supporting transit and mobility, and critical projects like the I-5 Bridge Replacement in Vancouver and the Spokane North-South Freeway.

“I’m pleased the Legislature maintained $1.3 billion in funding for construction of new ferry vessels and continued to invest in our ferry workforce to ensure our vessels are on the water and on time.

“The transportation budget also invests $1 billion in replacing our state’s culverts. There is still more to do. This demonstrates our ongoing commitment to this important work.

“This has been a hard session for many reasons, especially with the loss of Sen. Bill Ramos, Sen. Chris Gildon’s wife Autumn, and former longtime Speaker Frank Chopp. I am grateful for the hard work and sacrifice of all who contributed to the timely completion of this legislative session.”