Oregon Public Broadcasting

Republicans are woefully out of power in the Washington State legislature. But now they’re stepping up their role as the loyal opposition.

Wednesday, GOP leaders blasted majority Democrats for not moving fast enough to balance the budget. Olympia correspondent Austin Jenkins reports.

The Republican mantra in Olympia these days is: every dollar saved today is two to four dollars saved down the road.

Washington State is currently facing a $6 billion shortfall for the next two year budget. And that number could grow to more than $7 billion.

House Republican Leader Richard DeBolt accuses majority Democrats of stalling while they wait for what he calls Obama Claus – a reference to the federal stimulus package.

Rep. Richard DeBolt: “We have people that are making decisions in an echo chamber that are patting each other on the back telling ‘em it’s going to be okay, it’s going to be okay Obama is coming for us he’s going to save the day. And they’re just churning.”

Democrats are taking steps to trim about $300 million from the current two-year budget. They also say it makes sense to wait and see what federal money the state gets before making irreversible budget cuts.

Democrats also want to see the next revenue forecast – to find out how much less state tax money they’ll have to balance the budget.