Senator Keith Goehner, the ranking Republican on the Washington State Senate Housing Committee, has voiced concerns over Governor Ferguson’s recently announced $244 million housing plan. Goehner criticized the proposal for relying heavily on government subsidies and nonprofit development without addressing what he describes as the main obstacles 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 plan focuses on increasing funding for the state’s Housing Trust Fund and nonprofit housing providers. It also proposes creating a new cabinet-level Department of Housing and includes limited measures to update permitting systems. Despite identifying a need for more than 200,000 new units statewide, the plan is expected to produce fewer than 5,000 units.
“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 pointed out that affordable-housing projects supported by subsidies are struggling to offer units below market rates due to rising operating costs, regulatory requirements, and energy mandates.
“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.”
He noted that while disaster-recovery funds for flood-damaged homes are important, he cautioned against using emergency needs as justification for long-term expansion of government-run housing programs.
“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.”
Goehner stated that Senate Republicans are promoting an alternative strategy focused on reducing construction costs by increasing land availability, simplifying permitting processes, lowering building code expenses, and limiting regulatory mandates.
“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 legislative session will begin January 12 and conclude March 12.
