In TVW interview, Stokesbary calls out Gov. Ferguson and Olympia Democrats for blame-shifting and pushing higher taxes
House Republican Leader Drew Stokesbary joined TVW’s Mike McClanahan on opening day of the 2026 legislative session with a blunt assessment: Washington is in decline because of decisions made in Olympia, not Washington, D.C.
Stokesbary points to a growing public safety crisis, falling K-12 test scores despite record spending, and soaring costs for gas, housing, groceries, child care, and food. He says Washington is now among the most expensive states in the nation due to Democrat policies.
For their part, Stokesbary says Republicans are focused on lowering costs for families, starting with bills to eliminate the sales tax on prepared food, including fast food and grocery deli items, and to remove the sales tax on diapers, which he calls unavoidable necessities for working families.
Stokesbary forcefully rejects the governor’s proposed “millionaire income tax,” warning that no limits can be trusted and that every income tax eventually hits middle-class families. He cites economic data showing states without income taxes grow faster, create more jobs, and see higher household incomes, while Washington continues to lose about 50 residents a day.
He closes by calling out a structural budget crisis. Democrats raised taxes by $10 billion, yet the state is already facing another multi-billion-dollar shortfall. His bottom line is clear. Washington does not have a revenue problem. It has a spending problem, and families cannot afford more of the same.
