‘End the hypocrisy’: Democrats gut Medicaid by $782 million while blaming D.C., Washington GOP says

Washington Democrats are taking a victory lap on health care while quietly gutting it behind the scenes.

New numbers show Gov. Bob Ferguson and Washington Democrats slashed more than three-quarters of a billion dollars from Medicaid—even as they tried to pin the blame on Congress. According to the nonpartisan Office of Program Research, the 2025 budget Democrats passed and Ferguson signed cut $782 million from Medicaid, including $446 million in federal funds and $336.5 million in state matching dollars. Almost all of it—95%—hits general medical care, services for seniors and the disabled, and long-term care.

Rep. Travis Couture (R-Allyn) blasted Democrats for what he called a cynical bait-and-switch.

“Democrats didn’t just cut Medicaid. They cut out the truth and blamed others,” Couture said in a press release.

‘End the hypocrisy’

The governor himself publicly warned that H.R.1 in Congress would force hospital closures and strip vulnerable Washingtonians of care. But Republicans say the truth is far worse: Democrats’ own budget gutted Medicaid well before any federal action.

The damage doesn’t stop there. Democrats also shoved through new hospital taxes—costing $120 million in 2026 and climbing to nearly $240 million annually by 2027. This comes as hospitals have already lost more than $4 billion since 2021.

Republicans tried to stop it. They offered an amendment to increase Medicaid reimbursement rates, which would have helped struggling hospitals and patients. Democrats blocked it. Instead, Couture says, Democrats diverted money away from health care and into pay raises for bureaucrats and lawmakers themselves.

“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.”

House Republicans say they’ll push for solutions in the 2026 session, but warn the damage may already be done.

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