Sen. Keith Goehner/R-Dryden/Credit: Washington State Senate
DRYDEN… The top Republican member of the Washington State Senate Housing Committee today expressed serious concerns about the governor’s newly announced $244 million housing plan, warning that the proposal relies almost entirely on government subsidies and nonprofit development while failing to address the main barriers to large-scale housing construction.
“Washington’s housing crisis is fundamentally a supply problem, and this plan doesn’t fix that,” said Goehner. “Governor Ferguson would pour more taxpayer money into government-driven housing projects without tackling the costs, regulations, and land constraints that make it nearly impossible for private builders to construct homes that regular families can afford.”
The governor’s proposal emphasizes increased funding for the state’s Housing Trust Fund and nonprofit housing providers. It also would establish a new cabinet-level Department of Housing while offering only minimal measures to modernize permitting systems. Despite the governor’s stated need for more than 200,000 new housing units in Washington, the proposal is expected to deliver fewer than 5,000 units statewide.
“That gap in his approach should concern everyone,” Goehner said. “We can’t subsidize our way out of a housing shortage this large. If the goal is more homes, the math doesn’t work.”
Goehner also highlighted growing evidence that heavily subsidized affordable-housing projects are increasingly unable to offer units at prices well below market rates. Meanwhile, operating costs, regulatory hurdles, and energy mandates continue to raise prices.
“We’re seeing nonprofit housing providers themselves acknowledge that rising costs and regulatory hurdles are undermining their ability to build and maintain affordable housing,” Goehner said. “When even subsidized projects struggle to pencil out, that tells us the system is broken.”
While recognizing the proposal’s inclusion of disaster-recovery funding for flood-damaged homes, Goehner cautioned against using emergency needs as a rationale for expanding government-run housing programs in the long term.
“Helping families recover from floods is essential,” Goehner said. “But long-term housing policy needs to focus on affordability, sustainability, and scalability – not just expanding bureaucracy.”
Senate Republicans, the senator emphasized, are advancing an alternative approach focused on lowering housing-construction costs across the board.
“Our members are proposing bills to increase land supply, reduce unnecessary building code costs, simplify permitting, and rein in regulatory and energy mandates that raise housing prices,” Goehner said. “If we want homes for teachers, firefighters, nurses, and young families, we have to make it cheaper and faster to build – not just for government, but for everyone.”
“The better answer here would be bipartisan support for practical reforms that boost private-sector housing development.,” Goehner concluded. “Washington families don’t care who builds the housing; they care whether they can afford it. Real solutions mean removing barriers, not just writing bigger checks. Republicans stand ready to work with anyone serious about fixing the root causes of this crisis.”
The 60-day legislative session begins Jan. 12 and is scheduled to conclude March 12. For more information on Goehner’s legislative work, visit keithgoehner.src.wastateleg.org.
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