Downbeat outlook persists in WA's final budget forecast of the year

Washington state budget writers got a mild dose of good news on Tuesday, but are still looking at a strained balance sheet.

Revenue projections show collections up $105 million for the current two-year state budget compared to the last forecast in September. That amounts to a 0.1% increase, a change from previous reports showing precipitous drops.

House Democrats’ chief budget writer, Timm Ormsby, called the forecast a “little welcome relief.”

“We’ve leveled out a bit and stabilized, which was pleasing, but it certainly doesn’t take away from the challenges and difficult decisions we’re going to have to make in the upcoming session,” said Ormsby, of Spokane. “At least we’re not going backwards.”

https://washingtonstatestandard.com/2025/11/18/downbeat-outlook-persists-in-was-final-budget-forecast-of-the-year/