Gov. Bob Ferguson repeatedly said he would look for budget savings and efficiences before agreeing to raise taxes on Washingtonians, but on Tuesday – the deadline for doing so – he signed Washington state’s nearly $78 billion,

Inheriting a $16 billion budget shortfall was not the way I wanted to start as governor,” Bob Ferguson said Tuesday.

Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson entered office warning that a multibillion-dollar budget shortfall would require spending cuts and, as a last resort, higher taxes.