Corry calls governor’s proposal to close Yakima Valley School a misguided and feeble attempt to save pennies on the backs of most vulnerable
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Corry calls governor’s proposal to close Yakima Valley School a misguided and feeble attempt to save pennies on the backs of most vulnerable
‘The governor is trying to save pennies on the backs of the most vulnerable in our state,’ says Corry
State Rep. Chris Corry, R-Yakima, has come out strongly against Gov. Jay Inslee’s attempt to close the Yakima Valley School, a residential care facility for those with developmental disabilities run by the state’s Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS).
The former ranking Republican on the House Appropriations Committee, and current Deputy Leader for the House Republican Caucus in Olympia, released the following statement today:
“The governor is trying to save pennies on the backs of the most vulnerable in our state. We’ve had – and continue to have – record state revenue collections. What we haven’t seen for the last decade is budgetary constraint by the ruling party in Olympia.
“The governor has proposed, supported, and signed into law budgets that essentially broke the bank. To say they’ve spent like drunken sailors is an afront to inebriated seamen and women everywhere. They’ve more than doubled state spending over the last 10 years. And now, when the promises they’ve made to all their supporters are in jeopardy, the governor decides to go after the families and care givers that depend on this state-run facility for quality care and support. Frankly, it’s disgusting.
“I call on the governor and the Democrat regime to abandon this feeble attempt at budgetary savings. We all know when times are tough, we have to trim where we can. However, the residents and families served by the Yakima Valley School – and all those with developmental disabilities – do not fall in a category to be discarded so quickly and so callously, especially without conferring with local elected officials.
“House Republicans will work to see this facility is kept whole. In the midst of record revenue collections, facilities like this should not be the target for budget writers who passed a $72 billion budget last year. In fact, since Inslee took office, the state’s biennial budget has risen from $31 billion in 2011-13 to $79.5 billion in his budget proposal for 2025-27.
“Again, I reiterate. It is unconscionable to try to save pennies in a nearly $80 billion budget by closing down a vital resources for our local developmentally disabled residents, their families, and those who care for them. Governor Inslee. Look elsewhere.”
