Regional News

Newhouse Responds to Governor Inslee’s “Washington Recovery Plan”

Apr 23, 2020

Today, Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-WA) released the following statement in response to Governor Inslee’s “Washington Recovery Plan”:

“Last night, Governor Inslee released a ‘plan’ with zero benchmarks, zero concrete details, and zero specifics. For weeks, I have been pressing upon him the importance of developing a substantive plan detailing the criteria necessary for us to move forward with reopening our state and restarting our economy. The Governor’s address and his subsequent release of the ‘Washington Recovery Plan’ lacks that necessary substance.

Washingtonians don’t need broad philosophies or vague ideas right now – we need a concrete plan. As of now, it is clear Governor Inslee has not developed one. The lack of clarity erodes the hope of our citizens, and it threatens the trust and confidence needed in our state government.

I recommend the Governor look to his colleagues like Democratic Governor Jared Polis of Colorado who is demonstrating we can and should move forward with a transition plan to reopen our economy while continuing to implement important social distancing and public safety measures.

I supported Governor Inslee’s initial efforts in the early days of this pandemic, but with lives – and livelihoods – at risk, it is clear the state government must take more concrete action in order to instill confidence in its ability to transition us into recovery. I remain committed to continuing to work with the Governor, our Congressional delegation, and the Trump Administration for the health, safety, and well-being of our state.”