Spokane loses $4 Billion in federal taxes
🚨 Spokane & Eastern Washington are paying a BIG price as part of Washington’s TOP DONOR STATE status!
🚨Washington ranks 3rd nationally in net federal contributions — we send WAY more in taxes than we get back in spending. Latest USAFacts data shows a net loss of about $7,139 per person every year.
For Spokane County (home to roughly 566,000 people in Spokane, Spokane Valley, Cheney, Airway Heights, and surrounding areas), that means an estimated about $4 BILLION leaves our local economy annually — money that could stay here boosting healthcare, aerospace, manufacturing, education (like Gonzaga and EWU), infrastructure, affordable housing, and small businesses!
That's $4 BILLION not recirculating in OUR community — instead, it's subsidizing other states while we face workforce challenges, healthcare reliance, housing needs, and economic headwinds in the Inland Northwest.
Small Businesses & Key Industries Feel It the Most
Spokane's backbone — healthcare providers, aerospace/manufacturing firms, bioscience innovators, timber/wood products, local shops, restaurants, contractors, and startups — get hit hardest:
Higher local taxes & fees to cover the federal shortfall: More reliance on sales, property, and other taxes squeezes small ops and industries with thin margins, already navigating rising costs, supply issues, and seasonal demands.
Fewer federal grants & programs: Donor states like ours get less per capita for SBA loans, economic development funds, infrastructure grants (e.g., for manufacturing or ports), healthcare support, or industry-specific aid (aerospace, bioscience) compared to "recipient" states.
Ripple effects on jobs & spending: Less federal investment means fewer contracts, wages, and support for major sectors — leading to tougher times for restaurants, retail, suppliers, and the whole local supply chain in our growing but challenged economy.
Extra pressure on community needs: Shortfalls hit healthcare (a key employer), education/research grants, rural/urban infrastructure, and workforce programs hard, affecting families, veterans, and workers across the region.
Our strong healthcare, emerging aerospace/energy sectors, and hardworking residents generate huge value for the state and nation, but we're acting like the nation's ATM while our own challenges (economic cooling, job risks from federal cuts, small business survival) go underfunded. Frustrating for the economic heart of the Inland Northwest!
Want more facts, details, and ways to push for change? Check out Repatriate Washington PAC — a local group educating voters and fighting to end our donor state status:
👉 https://www.repatriatewa.org/
They nail it: Washington sends billions more than we receive — time to demand fairness for ALL parts of the state, including Spokane!
What do you think, Spokane folks? Time for more federal equity, or state-level solutions to support our industries and small businesses? Comment below! 💬 #Spokane #SpokaneValley #InlandNorthwest #WashingtonState #DonorState #SmallBusiness #Economy #RepatriateWA