GOP hits pause button on state budget talks

Mary Bruno

Mary Bruno Jun 30, 2025

Feb 6, 2018

Republish Article

You can republish articles in print or online. Simply copy the HTML below, which includes our tracking pixel, all paragraph styles and hyperlinks, the author byline, and credit to Cascade PBS. Republishing of the photos or videos embedded in an article can occur only if the photo or video is a copyright of Cascade Public Media ("CPM") and not of a third party. Photos and videos that are a copyright of CPM are not required to appear in the republished article, but if they are used, they must be embedded where they appear in the original article and must include the attribution to the CPM photographer.

You may reprint in any medium
You may edit only for tense and timeliness
If republishing in print you can edit for length if you follow our print republishing guidelines.
You may write your own headline
Include a byline and shirttail with credit and link to Cascade PBS
Include our tracking pixel
Remove if we ask

          <article>
            <header>
              <hgroup>
                <h1>GOP hits pause button on state budget talks</h1>
                <h2><p>The clock is ticking, loudly, on budget negotiations in Olympia — the legislative session officially ends on April 26. So imagine the surprise of House Democratic leaders when, according to The Seattle Times, they showed up for Wednesday's scheduled midday negotiating session with Senate Republicans only to learn that</p></h2>
              </hgroup>
               <p>By <a href="/author/mary-bruno-crosscut-com/">Mary Bruno</a></p> 
              <p><time datetime="2025-02-04T05:00:00-08:00">Feb 6, 2018</time></p>
            </header>
            <p>The clock is ticking, loudly, on budget negotiations in Olympia — the legislative session officially ends on April 26. So imagine the surprise of House Democratic leaders when, <a href="http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/legislative-budget-negotiators-walk-out-of-state-budget-talks/?ref=dev.cascadepbs.org">according to The Seattle Times</a>, they showed up for Wednesday's scheduled midday negotiating session with Senate Republicans only to learn that the session had been cancelled. Budget talks are apparently being held hostage until the House votes on capital-gains and business tax increases. Those taxes are in the House budget proposal — emphasis on <em>proposal —</em> but GOP leaders want proof that they'll actually pass. Absent that certainty, it appears that budget talks are stalled. “It was an ultimatum,” House Majority Leader Pat Sullivan told <em>The Times</em>. “I was stunned.”</p><p><a href="http://crosscut.com/2015/04/the-boys-behind-the-budget-doors/?ref=dev.cascadepbs.org">Read Crosscut's scouting report</a> on the legislator's four point men on budget talk.</p>
          </article>

The clock is ticking, loudly, on budget negotiations in Olympia — the legislative session officially ends on April 26. So imagine the surprise of House Democratic leaders when, according to The Seattle Times, they showed up for Wednesday's scheduled midday negotiating session with Senate Republicans only to learn that the session had been cancelled. Budget talks are apparently being held hostage until the House votes on capital-gains and business tax increases. Those taxes are in the House budget proposal — emphasis on proposal — but GOP leaders want proof that they'll actually pass. Absent that certainty, it appears that budget talks are stalled. “It was an ultimatum,” House Majority Leader Pat Sullivan told The Times. “I was stunned.”

Read Crosscut's scouting report on the legislator's four point men on budget talk.

Our members' donations make local journalism happen.

Support once for $1

Support monthly for $7

Cascade PBS Passport
Mossback members-only newsletter
Monthly Viewer Guide

Support monthly for $25

Invitation to quarterly news and original programming video conference
Annual in-person meet-up with news & programming teams
Special event perks (reduced price or free tickets, cocktails, etc.)

Continue

By Mary Bruno

Mary was Crosscut's Editor-in-Chief and Interim Publisher. In more than 25 years as a journalist, she has worked as a writer, editor and editorial director for a variety of print and web publications,