Welch: State lawmakers have a chance to chart a better course
Published 1:30 am Wednesday, January 7, 2026
By Todd Welch / Herald Columnist
The turning of the calendar to 2026 brings with it the kind of optimism that only a new year can provide. Fresh starts invite reflection, and for Washington state, reflection is overdue.
For too long, the state Legislature has waged what feels like a quiet war on affordability. Under the banner of progress, lawmakers have steadily piled on new taxes, fees and regulations, insisting that taking more from families and businesses will somehow make life cheaper for everyone else. It hasn’t worked.
Washington is now one of the most expensive states in the nation to live, work and do business. Housing costs are out of reach for too many families. Energy prices continue to rise. Groceries, childcare, fuel and insurance all cost more. Yet Olympia’s default response remains the same: tax more, regulate more and hope the math eventually works itself out.
It won’t.
Every new tax ultimately lands on working families, whether it’s paid directly, passed along through higher prices or absorbed by small businesses struggling to stay afloat. When lawmakers target “business” as if it were a faceless entity, they ignore the reality that businesses are people: employers, employees, innovators and risk-takers who make our communities function. Destroying the ability to earn a good living does not create equity; it erodes opportunity.
What’s most frustrating is not just the policy outcomes, but the mindset behind them. Too often, decisions in Olympia are driven by ideology rather than results. Programs and policies are measured by intentions instead of outcomes, and failed approaches are repeated simply because they fit a preferred narrative. Improving processes should be the priority, not doubling down on systems that clearly aren’t working.
Continued spending on broken or ineffective processes is not compassion; it is a waste of vital funds taken from working Washingtonians who expect accountability for every dollar sent to the state. Taxpayers deserve to know not just what government plans to do, but whether what it’s already doing is delivering real, measurable results.
The Legislature’s New Year’s resolution should be simple: Work across the aisle to find real solutions.
That means acknowledging hard truths. It means admitting that endlessly raising revenue without spending discipline is not sustainable. It means evaluating programs honestly, fixing what fails and ending what doesn’t work, regardless of which political camp first supported it. Real progress comes from outcomes, not ideology.
Washington has no shortage of smart people or good ideas on both sides of the aisle. There are practical ways to reduce costs without sacrificing essential services. There are smarter approaches to environmental goals that don’t cripple industries. There are housing solutions that encourage supply instead of smothering it in red tape. But those ideas require humility, compromise and a willingness to listen beyond familiar echo chambers.
A new year should also bring a new vision, one that values economic growth and efficiency as public goods, not political talking points. Growth creates jobs. Jobs create stability. Stability allows families to plan, save and invest in their futures. When government policies ignore results and instead reward process for process’s sake, everyone pays the price.
If Olympia is unwilling to change course, voters should take note.
2026 is not just another year; it is an opportunity. An opportunity for lawmakers to shift focus from ideology to outcomes, from rhetoric to results. And if that opportunity is ignored, it may also be an opportunity for change in the offices that will soon be on the ballot.
Washingtonians deserve leadership that measures success not by how much revenue it can extract or how well it satisfies an ideological base, but by whether families can afford to stay, work and thrive here. The new year offers a reset. The question is whether the Legislature is willing to take it or whether voters will decide to do it for them.
Todd Welch is a Herald columnist covering local and state issues.
