Did Inslee Really ‘Kickstart’ Washington Budget Negotiations?
Listen
With a government shutdown looming, Washington Senate Republicans are characterizing the status of budget negotiations differently than Gov. Jay Inslee.
On Monday, Inslee, a Democrat, said budget negotiations needed a “kickstart” and that he’d won a commitment from all four legislative leaders.
“I told them that they needed to start face-to-face negotiations starting tomorrow,” the governor said. “All four corners of leadership have agreed to do so.”
But when asked about this at a news conference Tuesday, Senate Republican leader Mark Schoesler gave no indication of a change in the form or pace of negotiations with House Democrats.
“We’ve been negotiating in person three, four days a week. Individual groups have been meeting,” Schoesler said. “Pretty easily accomplished.”
Both Schoesler and the governor do agree that time is running out to get bipartisan agreement on the budget before a partial government shutdown on July 1.
9(MDEwMDE0NjgyMDEzNDY0NDY5NTBmNTc1Yg004))
Related Stories:
US Marshals Service says that Travis Decker is dead
The U.S. Marshals Service has said that Travis Decker, the man wanted in connection with the deaths of his three daughters, is dead.
Displaced in the fields: Domestic farmworkers and the cost of immigration shifts in the Pacific Northwest
As immigration policies shift nationwide, local farmworkers in the Northwest say they are losing hours and losing ground. Some fear being replaced by foreign workers on visas, while others worry about detention.
Walla Walla Heroes Memorial Run to raise scholarship money
5K organizers in Walla Walla, Washington, hope runners and walkers will overwhelm paths with their support. The run will raise scholarship money in honor of three healthcare workers who recently passed away.
