Dear neighbors,
We are more than a third of the way through the 2025 legislative session. Things are moving quickly, but one thing remains constant: my gratitude to be back in Olympia as your state senator.
We have many challenges to address this session, from increasing funding for education to reducing costs for families. However, with the chaos coming from Washington, D.C., we must also continue to protect our state’s values and the individual liberty of everyone who lives here.
What we’re seeing is frightening and unprecedented, and your concern is justified. I’ve seen your calls, emails and text messages, and I share your alarm. It seems that every hour, we hear about another legally dubious executive order or federal action that affects Washingtonians.
As we navigate the whims and overreach from the other Washington, the 10th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is top of mind:
“The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.”
The full extent of the coming chaos is uncertain, but one thing is clear: the policy areas that the Constitution does not specifically give to the federal government belong to the states. It is our responsibility as lawmakers to protect Washington values and pursue every legislative and legal avenue to protect our freedoms and way of life.
Since Democrats won the Senate majority in 2017, we’ve worked hard to pass significant legislation that has codified key rights and protections in state law. We’ve safeguarded access to reproductive services, strengthened protections for immigrants, people of color, and the LGBTQIA+ community, and made our education system more inclusive and equitable.
We’ve made remarkable progress, but we have much to do going forward, especially in the face of uncertain federal funding. As the chair of the Early Learning & K-12 Education Committee, I’m committed to passing a state budget that is both responsible and responsive to our schools’ needs. That’s why I’m supporting bills that would increase funding for special education and school operating costs, supplies, and materials. We must pass a budget that funds the critical services that are at risk of being disrupted by an unraveling federal government.
The Trump administration and its allies will continue to target everything we value and have worked to protect. These next four years will be difficult, but we’re already seeing early success with Attorney General Nick Brown’s lawsuits against the federal government’s lawless actions. We’re working closely with him to stop the relentless attacks on our civil liberties, and I’m encouraged by the strength and prowess of our state’s democratic institutions.
Washington has never backed down from doing what’s right, and we won’t start now.
Yours in service,
