Ferguson calls for furloughs, billions in cuts

With a budget shortfall looming, Governor Bob Ferguson calls for an additional $4 billion in budget cuts without yet identifying progressive revenue

OLYMPIA, WA (February 28, 2025) — In a Thursday press conference, Governor Bob Ferguson proposed $4 billion in cuts to state services and programs, including monthly furloughs of most state employees, rollbacks or delays in childcare and public health funding, and shuttering facilities that support behavioral health treatment and serve developmentally disabled Washingtonians.

The proposed furloughs would run for two years, the duration of state workers’ contracts. Per reporting in the Washington State Standard, the Governor’s proposal also calls for eliminating about 1,000 full time state employee positions. Ferguson’s plan to cut $4 billion is in addition to the $3 billion in cuts proposed by outgoing Governor Jay Inslee; combined, those cuts fall far below the projected $12 to $15 billion budget shortfall.

While Ferguson has outlined a cut-centric approach, saying Thursday it’s too soon to consider revenue, the State Legislature writes the budget. And legislative leaders seem disinclined to accept an all cuts, no revenue approach.

“Reductions alone will not allow us to sustain the services Washingtonians rely on,” said Sen. June Robinson (D-Everett), who leads budget writing in the Senate, in a statement. “People expect a government that remains functional and responsive, especially in times of federal instability.”

Ferguson may feel it’s too early to talk taxes, but with less than 60 days til the scheduled end of session on April 27, public workers and impacted community members don’t see it that way. On Thursday, the Washington Federation of State Employees decried  furloughs and cuts without any discussion of new revenue, urging members and labor allies to call out the reckless absurdity of a tax code that asks those with the least to pay the most.

“The rich use the same roads that our members maintain, they go to the same parks that our members manage, yet they pay significantly less of their income in taxes than those same members,” said WFSE President Mike Yestramski in a statement. “There is still time for our elected officials to do the right thing and reject harmful cuts, facility closures, and employee furloughs by asking the rich to pay their fair share.”

TAKE A STAND: take action in solidarity with public employees and defend essential services! Call 800-562-6000 to leave a message for your state Senator and Representatives and urge them to tax the ultrawealthy and major corporations, instead of balancing the budget on the backs of working families.