Jolt
Afternoon Jolt: Budget Quotes of the Day
The state house just passed the budget along party lines, 54-42—with Democrats supporting it and Republicans against.
Protesters from the Service Employees International Union 775 filled the upper gallery in advance of the vote with chants of "These cuts kill!" before being removed. (The health care union is angry about cuts to health care worker hours and training and vowed today to run an initiative restoring the cuts to their programs.)
Quote of the Day: "They're right," said Rep. Hans Dunshee (D-44, Lake Stevens) moments before he voted "Yes."
(Andrew detailed the $4.6 billion in cuts—which include new eligibility limits on health care programs, cuts to home care worker hours, eliminating the cash stipend for the permanently disabled, $600 million in cuts to higher ed, and a 1.9 percent salary cut for teachers— earlier today.)
"But the voters voted for 1053 [the two-thirds rule to pass any revenue increases]," Dunshee added, "so maybe they didn't know what they were getting, but here we are."
Two Democrats voted against the budget. Reps. Sharon Wylie (D-49, Vancouver) and Marko Liias (D-21, Edmonds).
Liias, who recently announced he may run for U.S. Rep. Jay Inslee's seat if Inslee runs for governor, explained his vote afterward:
Republican budget leader Rep. Gary Alexander (R-20, Olympia ) summed up the GOP objections in a statement denouncing the fact that the budget nibbled away at programs to keep them afloat, rather than making sweeping structural reforms:
The Republicans also denounced the dramatic cuts to K-3 funding, though it should be noted, they did not support a Democratic push to close bank loopholes to fund K-3 class size reductions.
“I voted against the operating budget because it cut too deeply into funding for teachers and students and avoided some of the structural reforms to social services that I feel are essential to the long-term sustainability of state government," said freshman Rep. Hans Zeiger (R-25, Puyallup).
Protesters from the Service Employees International Union 775 filled the upper gallery in advance of the vote with chants of "These cuts kill!" before being removed. (The health care union is angry about cuts to health care worker hours and training and vowed today to run an initiative restoring the cuts to their programs.)
Quote of the Day: "They're right," said Rep. Hans Dunshee (D-44, Lake Stevens) moments before he voted "Yes."
(Andrew detailed the $4.6 billion in cuts—which include new eligibility limits on health care programs, cuts to home care worker hours, eliminating the cash stipend for the permanently disabled, $600 million in cuts to higher ed, and a 1.9 percent salary cut for teachers— earlier today.)
"But the voters voted for 1053 [the two-thirds rule to pass any revenue increases]," Dunshee added, "so maybe they didn't know what they were getting, but here we are."
Two Democrats voted against the budget. Reps. Sharon Wylie (D-49, Vancouver) and Marko Liias (D-21, Edmonds).
Liias, who recently announced he may run for U.S. Rep. Jay Inslee's seat if Inslee runs for governor, explained his vote afterward:
"I asked for a balance of revenue and cuts, this is all cuts. Unfortunately, this budget is too similar to what we've seen out of Washington, D.C. It cuts family planning, education, and the safety net. It doesn't ask the big oil companies, banks, or even Oregon residents to pay one cent more. We can do better."
Republican budget leader Rep. Gary Alexander (R-20, Olympia ) summed up the GOP objections in a statement denouncing the fact that the budget nibbled away at programs to keep them afloat, rather than making sweeping structural reforms:
We don’t support the idea of keeping programs on life-support with bare bones funding. Long-term sustainability requires that priorities be set and programs eliminated, not just reduced.
The Republicans also denounced the dramatic cuts to K-3 funding, though it should be noted, they did not support a Democratic push to close bank loopholes to fund K-3 class size reductions.
“I voted against the operating budget because it cut too deeply into funding for teachers and students and avoided some of the structural reforms to social services that I feel are essential to the long-term sustainability of state government," said freshman Rep. Hans Zeiger (R-25, Puyallup).
