Attorney General Nick Brown signs his election certificate after being sworn in Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025, at the Washington State Capitol in Olympia, Wash. (Photo by Ryan Berry/Washington State Standard)
Washington’s new governor, Bob Ferguson, has targeted his own former office as ripe for budget savings as he seeks fixes for the state’s multibillion-dollar shortfall.
But his successor, a fellow Democrat, is already pushing back.
Nick Brown, who replaced Ferguson as attorney general on Wednesday, said he’s raised his objections about the proposal to the new governor.
“I made my point pretty directly that I thought it was a bad idea and would be harmful to Washingtonians,” Brown said in an interview in his office shortly after being sworn in. “And AG Ferguson certainly understands this office and its budget better than most people. And you know, we are facing a real budget crisis that hopefully everyone can take seriously, but the idea of cutting that money is troublesome.”
Last week, in light of the projected budget shortfall, Ferguson proposed 6% spending cuts for nearly all state agencies. Ferguson has said the cuts would save about $4 billion over the next four years.
While he exempted funding for K-12 education and public safety agencies, like the Department of Corrections and Washington State Patrol, he has touted how he did not spare his old agency.
Specifically, he focused on surplus dollars in the consumer protection and other civil law enforcement divisions of the attorney general’s office. In the 16-page document detailing his plan, Ferguson said those divisions have a fund balance of more than $70 million.
But the divisions have an annual budget of $36 million, he noted. While two years of money on hand would be ideal, Ferguson argued the office can sustain losing half of that $70 million, with the money shifted to the state’s general fund.
The governor mentioned the plan again in his inaugural address Wednesday.
“In my proposal, I included a $35 million sweep of the attorney general’s office, an agency that I care deeply about,” Ferguson said. “To meet these challenges, we cannot be leisurely when the times call for action.”
Ferguson expects a pending $24.6 million fine against Meta over allegations the company repeatedly sold political ads without public disclosure should make up for his proposed sweep. Meta, the company behind Facebook and Instagram, must pay 12% interest while appealing the fine.
Ferguson estimated Meta now owes the state $35 million in penalties and attorney fees.
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Brown, the state’s new top lawyer, said the cuts proposed by Ferguson “would have a pretty devastating impact on vulnerable populations.”
“That work goes directly toward civil rights cases brought by this office, environmental protection cases, consumer protection, antitrust. All of the things that protect the most vulnerable would be at risk if those cuts were implemented,” Brown said.
Brown also addressed staff and loved ones Wednesday afternoon in Olympia, saying he was “humbled” to take over the agency of more than 1,800 employees.
“We have some really, really big challenges ahead,” he said, “and we will get started on those tomorrow.”
Brown takes over as attorney general after serving as U.S. attorney for the Western District of Washington. He was also former Gov. Jay Inslee’s general counsel from 2013 to 2017.