Evergreen Reporter

U.S. Representative Dan Newhouse (WA-4) issued the following announcement on May 1

Today, Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-WA) released the following statement after Governor Inslee announced he would extend Washington’s “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” order until May 31, 2020: 

"Our state's staggering unemployment numbers depict just how devastating the current situation is for Washington families. While I was grateful for the Governor's strong approach in the early days of our response, it has become clear that the small steps he has recently taken on adapting his order are nowhere near enough for the people of Washington. 

With 1 in 5 Washington workers filing for unemployment, we need decisive actions now to move forward with our recovery – for our economy and for the well-being of the citizens of our state. 

Why can Washingtonians buy furniture at large commercial chains, but not at local mom and pop shops on Main Street? Why is it safe to shop for clothing and other goods at major national retailers, but not at locally-owned small business storefronts?

With President Trump's action to invoke the Defense Production Act to supply our state with significant federal testing supplies, we can safely bring parity to our industries, get paychecks in the hands of our citizens, and begin to turn the tide on this grave level of unemployment - the worst we've seen in history. 

I trust the people of Washington to use the same caution and social distancing practices at locally-owned businesses as they are at large retails chains currently deemed essential under the Governor’s order. If we do not trust our citizens, we will not recover from this pandemic nor this economic freefall.

Earlier this week, Governor Inslee's administration falsely claimed the unemployment 'money won't run out.' The money will run out and any claim to the contrary gives the people of Washington false hope. What will inspire hope is a plan for fair treatment of our state's industries and a regional focus to safely reopen our society. The Governor can no longer slow-walk his responsiveness to this dire situation."

Original source can be found here.