3^rd District U.S. Representative Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-Camas) shares with Shift readers her views on the federal COVID-19 response and provides us with an update on a couple of the significant issues she is working on for Southwest Washington. The Congresswoman discuss her efforts to help small businesses during the coronavirus outbreak and why she opposed Nancy Pelosi’s $3 trillion dollar “wish list” package.  Herrera Beutler also updates us on her efforts to increase the region’s salmon population, the I-5 Columbia River bridge, and maternity health.  We also ask the representative a couple of questions about the 2020 campaign and the Washington State Democrats’ “desperate” attacks on her. (Shift)

Act today to receive your own “Governor Zero” mask! We have received requests from readers asking if they could purchase the facemask we have used as a graphic the past couple of weeks.  We have worked with a vendor and we are now offering the masks to the public.  You can receive a mask for a $25 donation to Shift. This is a limited offer, so click on the link and order your mask today. Protect yourself and those around you while also sharing your views on the governor. (Shift)

While Governor Jay Inslee has been in front of the cameras for nearly all COVID-19 outbreak announcements by the state, he was nowhere to be found when it was revealed his Employment Security Department (ESD) was the victim of one of the largest scams perpetrated in United States history.  It required federal agents to notify state officials that Inslee’s ESD had processed and deposited “hundreds of millions of dollars” in fraudulent unemployment benefits to a “well organized Nigerian fraud ring.” Instead of taking accountability and standing before the cameras to explain why his administration allowed this historic theft to take place, Inslee quickly canceled his previously planned media event (providing a false excuse for the cancelation) and hid from the public while pushing his department head Suzi LeVine out to inform Washington citizens that their tax money was now in the accounts of foreign criminals.  The lack of anything close to efficient oversite by the Inslee Administration has not only cost the state hundreds of millions of dollars, but it also has slowed down the process for sending much needed relief to the thousands of Washington workers who have lost their wages.  This is a screw up on a massive scale.  Governor Jay Inslee not only needs to explain why this happened under his watch, but also why he has hidden and not been accountable to Washington taxpayers. C’mon mainstream media, Inslee should not be allowed any more airtime or coverage until he answers these basic questions. (Seattle Times and Todd Herman Twitter)

Republican legislators have called for a mid-June special session to put the state’s finances in order.  Governor Inslee and the Democrats are hesitant to the timing of the session because it would allow the public to watch lawmakers consider reducing the scheduled 3% pay raise for state employees going into effect July 1^st.  While Governor Inslee’s “emergency” orders have resulted in historic private-sector job losses, state employees have experienced almost no loss in wages.  (In fact, the state was over two months into the crisis before Inslee finally called for a hiring freeze – didn’t we all know back in March this outbreak was going to have a dramatic negative impact on state revenues?) Senate Republican Leader Mark Schoesler explained why a special session is needed, “The Legislature has been kept on the sidelines for more than two months while the governor exercised emergency powers long past the time when his original goal of ‘flattening the curve’ was realized and hospital resources were not overwhelmed. Republicans have listened to the people and looked at the data and have seen what the micromanagement by the executive branch is doing to our communities. It is time for the legislative branch to intervene.” (Seattle Times and Governor Inslee’s Press Release)

State officials finally confirm they have included in their previous COVID-19 death counts a number of individuals who tested positive for the virus but died from other causes.  Earlier this week, Governor Inslee denied this fact and called it “malarkey” and he publicly condemned those (the Freedom Foundation) who first reported this information for “fanning these conspiracy claims from the planet Pluto.”  Did the governor’s staff fail to tell him they were providing false information to the public or was he covering up their malicious activities – and will anyone lose their job for intentionally misleading the public? Either way, this is one more indictment against Inslee’s claim that he is making his decisions based on “data” and “science.” (Freedom Foundation)

The Washington Citizens’ Commission on Salaries for Elected Officials gave state lawmakers a 17% pay raise two years ago, with the second half of this increase starting July 1^st.   Many Republican lawmakers (and a few newspaper editorials) have asked the commission to review this decision because of the lost tax revenue from the coronavirus outbreak. Has anybody heard from any Democrats who want to help the state deal with its budget deficit, and address income inequality, by returning their undeserved raise? (Walla Walla Union Bulletin)

One month after revealing his COVID-19 dashboard, Governor Inslee’s “dials” have become irrelevant.  Where do we start? Inslee’s infamous dials do not accurately reflect data, are apparently influenced by data Inslee’s team refuses to publicly reveal, and are heavily influenced by outdated statistics.  Most telling is the dial that reflects testing in the state. It has been moved slightly in the positive direction this week, despite fewer tests being performed and the fact many of the earlier tests are now irrelevant (people who tested negative for COVID-19 in March are not necessarily virus-free two months later). Inslee keeps saying his decisions are based on “science” and “data,” yet he never reveals the “science” he is using and the “data” he reveals is outdated and useless. (Washington Policy Center)

Sea-Tac airport is experiencing a 53-year low in passengers.  During the month of April, only 260,000 passengers (about 8,700 day) used the airport. This is a 93.6% drop in passengers compared to April of 2019.  You have to go back to 1967 for the last time so few passengers used Sea-Tac during a month. (MyNorthwest)

State officials say the larger Western Washington counties will not be able to move to Phase II by June 1^st.  Thus, many retail businesses will remain closed and workers will not be able to return to earning wages.  Even though hospitals are prepared for an influx in cases, and the number of COVID patients has been declining, because the state has failed to conduct enough testing and is behind in contact tracing, the larger Puget Sound counties cannot move forward. (Everett Herald)

Many Seattle Sounders’ players returned to practice, while other sports leagues watch to see if they too can return to training.  Using social distancing and other safety guidelines, the Major League Soccer team was one of the first professional sports teams in the country to resume voluntary workouts. Games will be interesting to watch if players will be forced to maintain six feet separation – could result in far more scoring. (News Tribune)

Spokane County is finally given permission to move to Phase II by Governor Inslee’s office.  More than two weeks after Spokane Mayor Nadine Woodward and other Spokane County officials presented a plan for some activities to safely resume, state officials have cleared the county to move forward with many safety restrictions.  This is great news for local businesses which have seen many customers driving a few miles East to buy products in Idaho, where 90% of the businesses are open. Local officials are asking residents to abide by the restrictions to enable the county to keep moving through the phases and stop the spread of the virus. Neighboring Adams County was also allowed to move forward to Phase II. (Spokesman-Review)

Spokesman-Review columnist Sue Lani Madsen takes a critical view of Governor Inslee’s recent statement on Bernie Sanders YouTube show in which he declared, “we should not be intimidated when people say, ‘Oh, you can’t use this COVID crisis, you know, to peddle a solution to climate change.’ ” This week both the governor and his press team have backtracked on this statement, because many Washington citizens complained Inslee was using their suffering to promote his political agenda. Perhaps he should ask Bernie for the opportunity to go back on his show, and apologize for lack of compassion. (Spokesman-Review)

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