Ferguson says Washington will not yield to presidential demands
Washington Governor Bob Ferguson is vowing to stand up to executive orders issued by the Trump administration on several fronts.
Those include federal funding that has been halted for state programs, restrictions on health care for transgender individuals, and elimination of DEI programs.
Ferguson says the state receives $27 billion in federal funding. He says some of what has been authorized by Congress is being held back, with no resolution in sight.
“Currently $162 million in federal funds are frozen that we are aware of. Most of that is in the Department of Commerce. $156 million in the solar for all program and $3 million the Climate Pollution Reduction Act. The Department of Natural Resources also has $3.3 million for wildlife preparedness that is frozen," he told reporters on Thursday.
Ferguson says those programs will not only help the environment but provide jobs and drive the state’s economy. He says state residents voted in November to preserve the Climate Commitment Act, and that he will fight to make sure the funding from Congress is received.
Ferguson said the state will continue to support DEI programs, the rights of undocumented residents, and health care for transgender individuals.
“Healthcare provided for gender dysphoria is just that, it is healthcare. In Washington state we will not treat healthcare like a political football," he said.
Ferguson said the state will continue to use its own money to continue DEI programs to support marginalized citizens.
He says he is concerned with Vice President Vance’s statement that courts cannot overrule the president’s authority to take executive action. But he says, as state attorney general, his office was successful in challenging the first Trump administration in several court cases and that the administration adhered to the legal rulings.
ID House to consider Medicaid expansion rollback
The Idaho House could soon take up a bill that critics say would almost certainly repeal the state’s Medicaid expansion plan.
If the federal government doesn’t approve 10 conditions outlined in the bill, like an enrollment cap and a lifetime benefits limit, Idaho would trash the program that offers health insurance to the working poor.
Supporters say the measures are needed to rein in the state’s Medicaid budget. Republican Rep. Dori Healey agreed. But she said this bill gives the feds complete control over the program’s future.
"We’re placing the lives of Idahoans in the hands of the federal government," Healey said. "As mentioned earlier, I’ve never seen so much faith placed in Washington, D.C."
Nearly everyone who testified Wednesday opposed the bill, saying it would drive up costs for the state and would lead to hundreds of premature deaths in Idaho.
Mark Johnson was one of the few who supported the measure, saying the state shouldn’t extend health coverage to able-bodied adults.
"The reason I’m a grumpy old man or I call myself that is because I’ve worked for 45 years to-date and paid my way the entire way," he said.
The bill passed out of committee by one vote and now goes to the House floor.
Abell pushes for legislative endorsement of state judicial candidates
A northeast Washington state representative wants to remove some of the governor’s power to appoint judges to the state Supreme and appellate courts.
Rep. Hunter Abell (R-Inchelium) recently filed bills that would require appointees who fill open positions to be ratified by two-thirds vote in the state Senate.
“The concern is that the public doesn’t have confidence and belief that the people being put onto the appellate courts are being put there as the best candidates to serve in the position and that they will be non-partisan in their duties. They will be paying strict attention to the Constitution of the state of Washington, Constitution of the United States because there is no oversight to these appointments," he said.
Abell says more than half of the state’s nine Supreme Court justices and almost 80% of the appellate court justices were appointed by the governor. He says that gives them the power of incumbency, an advantage as he sees it, when they run for re-election.
He has also filed a measure that would change the state Constitution to require Senate confirmation.
Reporting contributed by Steve Jackson, James Dawson and Doug Nadvornick.