WA Gov. Ferguson talks about ICE, vaccines, taxes in state of the state address
Gov. Bob Ferguson delivered a promising prognosis of Washington’s health during his state of the state address Tuesday.
The first-term Democrat referenced historic flooding that inflicted widespread damage across much of the state last month. He said that he witnessed residents and officials alike step up to tackle the challenge.
“It’s that heart and spirit of our people that allows me to report today that the state of our state remains strong,” Ferguson said.
During Ferguson’s inaugural address last year, he painted himself as a reformer. Republican lawmakers viewed this with cautious optimism while many Democrats bristled.
But on Tuesday, Ferguson took a more measured approach while again emphasizing his aim to sign bills sponsored by Democrats and Republicans alike. Several of the priority bills that he called out during last year’s speech ultimately reached his desk, such as a proposal to prevent other states’ National Guards from being sent into Washington without its approval.
“Given that success, let’s do it again right now,” Ferguson said Jan. 13.
One bipartisan bill that Ferguson highlighted: House Bill 2151 by state Reps. Deb Manjarrez, a Wapato Republican, and Strom Peterson, an Edmonds Democrat, that aims to boost affordable housing.
Ferguson expressed support for Democrat-backed bills inspired by the state’s friction with the federal government, including concerning immigration and vaccines. He also called for a so-called millionaires tax on residents making more than $1 million a year, plus significant investments in transportation and housing.
Last month the governor unveiled a supplemental budget proposal featuring $164 million for paving projects this year, $1.1 billion for preserving the state’s bridges and another $756 million over the next decade for paving projects. For other infrastructure projects, such as slope control on mountain passes, Ferguson’s pitch included $160 million.
Ferguson noted Tuesday that his budget proposal also aims to make a historic $244 million investment in housing.
He said state lawmakers and officials are there to secure a brighter future for the state.
“Washingtonians are not mere bystanders to history,” Ferguson continued. “We are bold and, with heart and spirit, we forge our destiny and make history.”
At multiple points during Ferguson’s speech, Democratic lawmakers stood to applaud. Such moments included when the governor called recent actions by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) “horrific,” as well as when he cited efforts to shift vaccine recommendations to the state’s health department and away from “science-denying federal committees.”
Ferguson said he wants to sign a bill by Democratic state Sen. Javier Valdez of Seattle that would bar law enforcement officers, including ICE agents, from wearing masks.
House Speaker Laurie Jinkins also railed against the federal government during her opening day remarks, particularly regarding the implications of recent federal funding cuts to food benefits and Medicaid.
While Democrats appeared far more pleased with Ferguson’s speech this year compared with last year’s inaugural address, the reverse was true for the minority party.
House Republican Leader Drew Stokesbary said during a Tuesday afternoon media availability that when Ferguson first took office, it seemed like he “wanted to be a Democrat Dan Evans,” referencing the revered former Republican governor. In the Auburn Republican’s view, Ferguson today comes across as “a governor desperate to shore up his base before his primary in 2028.”
State Rep. Jim Walsh told McClatchy that he walked off the House floor when Ferguson derided ICE agents who are doing their jobs. The Aberdeen Republican said that such agents will at times wear masks to avoid being doxxed, a term used to describe the malicious publication of private or identifying details about someone online.
Walsh also took issue with Ferguson’s criticism of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. He did give Ferguson credit for his comments about the need to help Washingtonians hit by last month’s flooding.
“He’s not an advocate, he’s not an activist. He’s the governor of the state, and he needs to represent all people and uphold the Constitution and the law,” Walsh said. “And taking these cheap shots at ICE and taking the cheap shots at the Centers for Disease Control is not doing that, in my opinion.”
This story was originally published January 13, 2026 at 11:27 AM.
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