Washington state is in a full-blown budget crisis, but instead of reversing course, Democrats are flooring the gas pedal—with a brand new gas tax.
Gov. Bob Ferguson recently signed off on the largest tax hike in state history, including a 6-cent-per-gallon increase at the pump. Because clearly, paying the third-highest gas prices in the nation just wasn’t gouging us enough. For working families already struggling with inflation and rising costs, this is insult stacked on injury.
But the tax hikes are just the beginning.
Ferguson also greenlit a rent control law that pretends supply and demand don’t exist. Under the guise of “affordable housing,” this law caps rent increases and discourages investment in new construction. The result? Developers walk away. Housing supply tightens even more. And renters get stuck paying $3,000 for a 400-square-foot shoebox. If you liked the housing crisis before, you’re going to love the Ferguson version.
And for those who’ve worked hard and built wealth in spite of this hostile environment? The state has a parting gift: a 35% estate tax, the highest in the nation. That’s after already imposing a 9.9% capital gains tax, which has investors and business owners heading for the exits faster than a Seahawks fan at Levi’s Stadium.
All of this is happening against a backdrop of exploding government spending. Since 2013, Medicaid spending alone has jumped from $7.85 billion to a projected $42 billion in the next budget cycle. Why? Because Democrats jammed through massive expansions that nearly doubled enrollment—adding hundreds of thousands of able-bodied adults who often could’ve obtained private coverage. Why bother when the state foots the bill?
This explosion of spending didn’t translate into better care. Washington still underpays the doctors who serve Medicaid patients, driving providers away and leaving patients with fewer options and longer waits. It’s not a healthcare safety net anymore—it’s a taxpayer-funded policy hammock for the healthy and subsidized.
And now, as federal funding tightens under Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” Democrats are panicking. Between 200,000 and 320,000 people are expected to lose coverage as the feds start enforcing eligibility redeterminations again. Yet no one in Olympia seems prepared for the consequences.
The state’s overall budget has more than doubled—up 116% in just over a decade. Democrats threw money at everything from DEI bureaucracies to climate commissions, and now they’re shocked—shocked!—to discover that the money might run out. Ferguson’s own top health advisor recently admitted Washington is facing “the worst budget crisis we’ve ever had.” But instead of taking responsibility, Democrats are blaming Trump, COVID, the weather—anyone but themselves.
And the punchline? Their only plan is the same tired playbook: raise taxes, blame Republicans, and lecture the public about “tough choices” that somehow always mean you pay more.
Meanwhile, Washington families are stuck with:
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Skyrocketing gas prices
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Unaffordable housing
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Higher estate and capital gains taxes
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A crumbling education system
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An overloaded healthcare program
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A collapsing budget and no plan to fix it
As Donald P. Nielsen of the Discovery Institute put it, we “spend like Norway, but educate like it’s 1994.” Crime is rampant, homelessness is out of control, and kids are falling behind in the very schools we’re told need more funding—despite already getting billions.
Washington used to be a model of prosperity, innovation, and opportunity. Under one-party rule, it’s becoming a cautionary tale of what happens when ideology trumps economics, and when government sees taxpayers as bottomless ATMs.
If this is Bob Ferguson’s “vision,” Washington voters might want to check the fine print before signing up for more.
