Oregon Public Broadcasting

Washington Governor Chris Gregoire said Thursday that her state desperately needs a federal bailout to survive the economic downturn.

She reacted to the growing number of layoffs this week at companies including Boeing, Starbucks and Weyerhaeuser. Olympia correspondent Austin Jenkins reports.

Gregoire says she’s been in touch with Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz and Boeing commercial airplanes chief Scott Carson. But she offered no great words of reassurance to the swelling ranks of laid-off workers in the state.

Gov. Chris Gregoire: “I don’t know of anybody who has the answer as evidenced by what’s happened already with the stimulus that was given to Wall Street. It hasn’t resulted in relief to consumers at all. So we’re grappling with an unprecedented, uncharted territory.”

Gregoire says she can’t imagine getting through this crisis without the help of the federal government.

The Governor expects Washington State could receive between $3.5 and $5 billion in stimulus money.

Gregoire reiterated her belief that a tax hike would be worse for Washington State’s economy than the billions of dollars in cuts she’s proposing to the state budget.