State officials planning for 'chaos' of second Trump term

By The Herald Editorial Board

Having won his second term as state treasurer, Mike Pellicciotti, already has plenty on his plate as the Legislature prepares for its every-other-year budget session, one for which spending demands are increasing while revenues have slipped.

That’s resulted in projections of a $12 billion budget shortfall and prompted out-going Gov. Jay Inslee to order a hiring and travel freeze, as he finalizes his proposed budget and lawmakers continue their discussions.

But added to those concerns in Pellicciotti’s mind is federal funding in the billions of dollars — $27 billion in the most recent fiscal year — that helps the state fund Medicaid and other health care, law enforcement, education and more.

In the months leading up to the election — as polls were showing a tight race between Democrat Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump — Pellicciotti, like other Democratic state officials in Washington and other blue states — began contemplating what a return to the White House by Trump could mean in this Washington.

https://www.heraldnet.com/opinion/trump-state-officials-planning-for-chaos-of-second-trump-term/