OLYMPIA — On Friday, the Senate passed its proposed 2025–27 supplemental operating budget that continues key investments in health care, education, and behavioral health while maintaining access to essential services Washington families rely on every day.
The roughly $79.3 billion plan updates the state’s current 2025–27 operating budget to reflect increased demand for services including Apple Health coverage, behavioral health treatment, and long-term care for seniors and people with disabilities, as well as rising costs to continue programs already in place.
The Senate-passed proposal includes approximately $1.7 billion in maintenance-level adjustments for the 2025–27 biennium to continue services the Legislature has already committed to provide, driven largely by caseload growth and rising per-person costs in programs such as Medicaid and long-term care.
The proposal is designed to ensure recent progress in expanding access to health care, behavioral health treatment, and long-term care is maintained despite ongoing fiscal challenges.
To support those commitments and maintain stability in a challenging fiscal environment, the proposal also includes a $750 million transfer from the state’s Budget Stabilization Account, along with additional fund transfers and adjustments to capital gains tax distributions. The transfer is part of a balanced approach to maintaining access to core services while protecting the state’s long-term fiscal outlook.
Under the four-year outlook, the Senate proposal is projected to maintain approximately $1.0 billion in Near General Fund–Outlook ending fund balance and more than $3.0 billion in total reserves, helping ensure Washington remains well-positioned to respond to continued economic and federal uncertainty.
The proposal prioritizes maintaining access to supports for seniors, people with disabilities, and low-income families, including long-term care, developmental disability services, and food assistance, helping Washingtonians remain in their homes and communities and meet basic needs.
The proposal does not include broad-based tax increases.
“Today’s vote reflects incredibly difficult decisions in a constrained fiscal environment,” said Sen. June Robinson (D-Everett), chair of the Senate Ways & Means Committee and lead Senate budget writer. “There are reductions in this budget, and none were made lightly. Our priority has been to protect the services people rely on every day, preserve the progress Washington has made in expanding access to health care and behavioral health supports, and maintain the long-term fiscal stability that allows us to continue investing in our communities.”
The House and Senate will soon begin negotiations on a final budget, which must pass the Legislature by session’s end on March 12. To become law, it needs the governor’s signature. The full proposal is available here.
