Let’s not forget Inslee’s abuse of power, disregard for democracy
As Governor Jay Inslee prepares to leave office in January, it’s a fitting time to reflect on his legacy. His actions during the COVID-19 pandemic, in particular, raise serious concerns about the precedent he set on wielding executive powers in Washington.
For almost three years, Governor Inslee unilaterally dictated which businesses could remain open, imposed public health mandates, and directed state resources, all without meaningful input from the state legislature.
Why was he allowed to do this? Because Washington state law gives the governor broad authority to declare a state of emergency and grants near-total control until the governor alone decides it’s over. Unlike other states, where legislatures play a role in declaring or extending emergencies, Washington’s system removes any checks on the executive branch once an emergency is declared.
Inslee took full advantage of this, using it to hold onto his emergency powers for more than 900 days.
Inslee and public health officials knew early on that vaccines were not fully stopping the virus from spreading. Radio show host Ari Hoffman revealed on Brandi Kruse’s [un]Divided podcast that emails were uncovered between officials in King and Snohomish counties discussing how 20-30% of COVID-19 cases were breakthrough infections, with vaccinated individuals still ending up in hospitals or worse.
This information certainly landed on the governor’s desk, and yet, Inslee, still moved forward with vaccine mandates—and worse, demonized those who opposed them.
Ari Hoffman explained the troubling consequences:
“How many police officers, how many firefighters, how many people have been fired? From the Washington Department of Transportation and all these other state agencies on this failed narrative, this false narrative that the vaccine stops the spread, when actually it didn’t…. All this information was going to the governor’s office, and they still push forward with this narrative of ‘The vaccine stops the spread.’ And it wasn’t true at all. But who could question Jay Inslee?”
Inslee’s vaccine mandates are one of a litany of reasons Washington’s State Ferry System is having the pervasive service issues that it is.
The original intention of these laws was to manage sudden, catastrophic events—like natural disasters—where immediate legislative action might not be possible. However, Inslee’s long-term use of these powers goes against the spirit of the law.
Inslee left his own party in the dark, likened those pushing for emergency powers reform to people attempting a coup, and later claimed that he alone could save lives.
Absolute power corrupts absolutely. Unfortunately for Washington citizens, that happened to their governor, and there was no way for their legislators to put brakes on Inslee’s emergency powers.
As Governor Inslee exits office, the true legacy of his tenure will be the unchecked power that went to his head and destroyed lives, often while espousing tired warnings about his political opponents being threats to democracy.
Washingtonians must demand reform on our governor’s scope and ability to use emergency powers, adding adequate checks and balances from the legislature. Otherwise, what’s to stop the next governor from unilaterally ruining our livelihoods all over again?