Ex-governor says WA budget is almost double 2013’s. What does the math show?
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Gregoire warned May 6, 2026, that Washington has a spending, not income, problem.
- Critics argued inflation and population growth make direct budget comparisons misleading.
- She contrasted the 2013 budget of roughly $33 billion with today’s about $80 billion.
Former Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire recently criticized state lawmakers from her own party for their budget decisions.
Speaking earlier this month at the Association of Washington Business’s 2026 Spring Summit, Gregoire made headlines for warning that the state’s approach to spending and taxes could harm the business community and send the wealthy packing.
“I would suggest to you we don’t really have an income problem; we have a spending problem,” the Democrat said May 6.
Gregoire also noted that when she left office in January 2013, the state’s operating budget was roughly $33 billion. Now it’s about $80 billion.
“I think that’s a little bit too much of a growth,” she said. “And yet how we find ourselves at the end of every legislative session now is in the hole and projected to be in the hole.”
Today Gregoire leads Challenge Seattle, a coalition representing regional innovators and large employers.
Conservatives and other supporters have cheered on Gregoire for speaking out against state Democrats’ spending.
Critics of Gregoire’s comments — including the Northwest Progressive Institute, a left-wing think tank — have argued that comparing old and current budgets using absolute dollar amounts doesn’t work. Washington today, they say, is not the same state that it was during Gregoire’s reign.
How much is $33 billion in today’s money?
Adjusted for inflation, $33 billion in 2013 would equate to roughly $47.2 billion today, according to the website US Inflation Calculator, which uses the latest federal government Consumer Price Index data.
Puyallup Sen. Chris Gildon said in an emailed statement that Gregoire’s warning about taxation, regulatory unpredictability and “unchecked spending growth” hurting economic competitiveness should prompt policymakers to pay attention.
The upper chamber’s Republican budget lead said the state’s economy has succeeded in the past because Washington has maintained a healthy balance between government and growth, and the state has focused on encouraging innovation and investment.
“If we continue down a path that drives employers and job creators elsewhere, the people who will ultimately pay the price are working Washingtonians,” Gildon continued.
Democratic Rep. April Berg, who chairs the House Finance Committee, said in a call that Gregoire’s math tracks — but she added some context.
At the same time that the budget has shot up from roughly $33 billion to $80 billion, the state has also grown by over a million people, the Mill Creek Democrat said. Along with that population spike comes increased responsibility, she added.
Plus the gap between high- and low-earners has widened, leading to heightened strain on the social safety net, Berg said. More people now take advantage of the state’s Working Families Tax Credit, for example.
Berg also cited record inflation and noted that Gregoire referred to “pre-COVID numbers” in a post-COVID reality. She said she feels that if the former governor were in office today, she’d make similar decisions as current Democratic leadership to care for Washingtonians’ needs.
“I think from the outside looking in, it does appear to be like we’re just spend, spend, spending,” Berg said. “But every tax dollar that we spend is about people.”
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