Washington State’s Democratic Governor Bob Ferguson is facing mounting criticism after quietly vetoing a bipartisan bill designed to investigate the root causes of the state’s skyrocketing housing costs, a move opponents are calling both politically motivated and deeply hypocritical.
The veto, issued late Friday ahead of Memorial Day weekend, killed legislation that had passed both the House and Senate with strong bipartisan support. The bill would have established a task force of industry experts and everyday stakeholders to provide an honest, on-the-ground assessment of what’s driving up housing prices across the state.
Ferguson’s veto comes only days after he signed the largest tax increase in Washington State history.
“This veto wasn’t just disappointing—it was calculated,” said State Representative Mark Klicker (R-Walla Walla) during an appearance on The Ari Hoffman Show on Talk Radio 570 KVI. “Ferguson waited until a holiday weekend to bury it in the news cycle. That tells you everything about his motives.”
Klicker, who sponsored the bill, emphasized that the legislation aimed to do what previous studies had failed to: listen to those impacted by regulatory burdens—builders, developers, property managers, and other housing professionals. “This wasn’t another agency report,” he said. “This was real people with real solutions.”
But Ferguson vetoed it anyway, claiming that enough studies had already been done.
Hoffman remarked that now that Ferguson signed $9 billion in new taxes, “Democrats don’t want real answers because they already know who’s responsible—them. It’s their taxes, their restrictions, their green building mandates that have made housing unaffordable.”
Klicker echoed that view. “He says we’ve done enough studies, but those are written by bureaucrats who are part of the problem. My bill would’ve brought in the voices of people actually living this crisis.”
Ferguson’s veto has drawn accusations of hypocrisy. On the campaign trail, he frequently acknowledges housing affordability as a pressing issue—yet when given a chance to support legislation seeking real answers, he killed it.
“You can’t campaign on solving the housing crisis and then block an investigation into what’s causing it,” Klicker said. “That’s not leadership. That’s misdirection.”
Klicker went further, saying Ferguson doesn’t want the truth to come out because it would implicate the very policies his party has pushed for over a decade.
“If this task force exposed how bad things have gotten under Democratic leadership—how many rules, regulations, taxes, and agency mandates are choking development—it would come back to haunt him politically,” Klicker said. “So he shut it down.”
The veto has gone largely unreported in mainstream outlets. Klicker suggested that it’s no accident. “The media in this state operates just like the political leadership,” he said. “They’ll tell you one thing and do another. Don’t expect The Seattle Times to put this on the front page.”
As for next steps, Klicker said there’s technically a path to override the veto, but he isn’t optimistic the legislature will act. He’s also doubtful about reintroducing the bill next year. “What’s the point if the same political machine will just kill it again?”
Ferguson’s office has not responded to multiple requests for comment, a silence that Hoffman said is part of a larger pattern.
“They’ve ignored every request I’ve made since I took office,” Hoffman said. “Transparency? They don’t even pretend to care anymore.”
For Klicker, the message is clear: “Ferguson’s actions speak louder than his campaign slogans. He doesn’t want answers. He wants control—and he’ll veto the truth to keep it.”
Check out the audio of Ari’s conversation with Rep. Klicker here:
Listen to The Ari Hoffman Show, weekdays 3-6 PM Pacific on Talk Radio 570 KVI, 101.5 FM HD-3, KVI.com & the KVI app. Subscribe to the show on your preferred podcast platform.
