(The Center Square) – In October it was revealed that the state operating budget faced a potential $5 billion shortfall for the 2025-2027 biennium. While that figure has changed slightly, the shortfall amount for the four-year outlook has altered drastically in recent weeks, though the number depends on who you ask and when you ask them.
Initially, the state Office of Financial Management estimated the budget shortfall between 2025-2029 could be between $10-12 billion. However, an official from Governor Jay Inslee’s Office remarked at a meeting last week that the estimate was now around $14 billion.
Though Inslee’s office and the official later said it was an error, Inslee himself later went on to say at a press conference for his 2025-2027 operating budget that the shortfall could be even higher, to the tune of $16 billion…