The Cost of Silence: Baumgartner’s Budget Vote Sellout

When your member of Congress votes to give away your future, and says nothing about it.

The federal budget recently passed by the U.S. House, the so-called “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” proposes sweeping changes to how the federal government supports states. But in Washington State, and especially in the small towns, hillsides, and valleys of its eastern half, where we live, the impact is less ideological than it is deeply personal.

Under this new budget, federal transfer payments to Washington will shrink dramatically. These are the dollars the federal government returns to us through programs like Medicaid, food assistance, college aid, and public health funding. And although Washington taxpayers consistently send more to the federal government than we receive, this budget widens that gap, cutting billions from services that working families, seniors, veterans, and caregivers in Eastern Washington depend on every day.

The bill passed with the full support of Representative Michael Baumgartner, who has yet to explain why.

What Are Transfer Payments?

Federal transfer payments are a cornerstone of modern state budgets. They fund everything from children’s health insurance and job training to wildfire mitigation and nursing home care. In economic terms, they are redistributive: money collected federally and sent back to communities where need is greatest or where federal programs have long supported stability and growth.

In 2021, transfer payments made up 25–28% of all income in counties like Franklin and Benton, nearly a third of household income in some parts of WA-5. That’s not waste. That’s Medicaid keeping clinics open. That’s SNAP putting food on tables. That’s Pell Grants helping kids from Colville and Dayton become nurses and teachers.

The new budget threatens all of it.

Programs on the Chopping Block

The following is just a partial list of programs in jeopardy if the House-passed budget becomes law:

• Medicaid: $698 billion in national cuts, with Washington losing an estimated $2 billion over four years. Cuts would target adults without dependents, restrict provider reimbursements, and penalize states for providing care to undocumented residents.
• SNAP (Food Assistance): Over $230 billion in reductions. Work requirements would tighten, and Washington would assume 75% of administrative costs (up from 50%), a burden that would fall on counties.
• Pell Grants: Caps and reforms would reduce access for traditional undergraduates, shifting funds toward job training programs but defunding subsidized loans.
• Federal Student Aid Office: Major staffing cuts could delay disbursement and access for thousands of students.
• USDA Research: Eliminates rural and climate-resilient agriculture initiatives that benefit Washington wheat, apple, and wine producers.
• Public Health Agencies: Layoffs at HHS, CDC, and FDA would impair disease prevention, opioid treatment coordination, and rural clinic support.

The Human Cost in WA-5

“If Medicaid cuts go through, I don’t know where they’ll go. We’ve already lost providers in Stevens County. If the clinics close, they’ll lose everything.”— Julie Sparkman, home care provider, Spokane

“Without those supports, I’d have to quit my job. My children would lose their lifelines.”— Jayme Vasconcelos, parent of two children with behavioral health needs

Their stories are echoed across the region, at every hospital board meeting, food bank intake line, and student aid office.

Baumgartner's Silence

While Governor Bob Ferguson has called on Representatives Dan Newhouse and Michael Baumgartner to justify their votes for the bill, Baumgartner has remained notably quiet.

Local constituents have noticed.

“He won’t take questions. He doesn’t answer emails. He’s not holding public events. He’s absent.”— Brian, Walla Walla resident, in a Union-Bulletin letter

“Baumgartner sides with Trump—not his constituents… Has he no heart? Is loyalty to the cult of a 34-count convicted felon more important than the needs of Eastern Washington?”— Norm Luther, longtime Palouse resident, Lewiston Tribune

Their frustration is not partisan. It’s grounded in a basic civic expectation: that elected officials will serve the people who sent them to Congress.

An Unanswered Reckoning

Representative Baumgartner calls himself a “state’s rights guy,” but now supports a budget that takes power, and billions in resources away from Eastern Washington and redistributes it upward in tax giveaways to his wealthy donors. His constituents have questions. So far, he’s given them none of the answers they deserve.

This isn't about ideology. It's about impact. In Ferry, Stevens, and Walla Walla Counties, the loss of transfer payments won't be abstract; it will mean fewer nurses, emptier classrooms, and shuttered clinics. The people of WA-5 aren't asking for special treatment. They're asking to be seen, heard, and answered.

They're still waiting.