In his final State of the State address to the Legislature, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee touted the enormous increase in state spending on various programs and services since he took office, while imploring lawmakers not to reduce spending as they write the upcoming biennial budget.

Gov. Jay Inslee, who’s led Washington state for the past dozen years, delivered his final State of the State address Tuesday morning. Its theme? Progress.

Outgoing Gov. Jay Inslee cautioned lawmakers one last time as the state’s top chief on the dangers of Washington backsliding to the “dark days” of the Great Recession if the state’s budget is pruned too much.

In his final State of the State address, outgoing Washington governor Jay Inslee talked about his accomplishments, but also the challenges that lie ahead.

Washington state Gov. Jay Inslee gives his final State of the State address in the House Chambers of the Legislative Building in Olympia on Jan. 14, 2025

Jay Inslee delivered his final state of the state address to both chambers of the Washington Legislature on Tuesday. Though the yearly speech sets a tone for the 103 days of lawmaking , Inslee’s address on the final full day of 12 years leading the state had the air of farewell.

In his final State of the State address to a joint session of the Washington Legislature, Governor Jay Inslee made a passionate plea to safeguard the state’s progressive achievements and protect vulnerable communities from the brunt of looming budget challenges.