House Republican budget lead Rep. Travis Couture, R-Allyn, blasted state Democratic budget writers Monday after new data revealed Medicaid cuts passed last session total more than three-quarters of a billion dollars.
“Democrats didn’t just cut Medicaid,” said Couture. “They cut out the truth and blamed others.”
According to the nonpartisan Office of Program Research, the budget passed by Democrats and signed by Gov. Bob Ferguson in 2025 slashes over $782 million from Medicaid – $446 million in federal funds and $336.5 million in state matching dollars. Nearly 95% of the reductions hit general medical care, services for people with disabilities and seniors, and long-term care assistance.
“That is not just astonishing – it is disgraceful,” Couture said. “While they gutted Medicaid, they pointed fingers at the federal government. From Gov. Ferguson we’ve heard quotes like, ‘This morally bankrupt decision will cause our most vulnerable Washingtonians to lose their health care coverage’ and ‘likely force hospital closures across the state,’ in reference to H.R.1. But the truth is this happened even before H.R.1 took effect because of a budget passed by legislative Democrats and signed by him – and we have the receipts to prove it.”
Democrats hit hospitals with both program cuts and new taxes in 2025, costing $120 million in 2026 and rising to $239 million annually by 2027. These cuts will further destabilize Washington’s hospitals, which have already lost more than $4 billion since 2021, according to the Washington State Hospital Association. House Republicans fought to protect access to care, including an amendment to boost Medicaid reimbursement rates, but Democrats blocked them.
“This mix of cuts and taxes will impact all medical care in our state – not just Medicaid patients,” Couture said. “And to make matters worse, Democrats cut money from Medicaid to help pay for bureaucrat pay raises and pay raises for themselves. That is unconscionable.”
Couture called on Democrats to “end the hypocrisy, own the damage they’ve done, and fix it before it costs lives.” In the meantime, Couture said House Republicans will be working on a solution in the lead-up to the 2026 session.