Bob Ferguson: “On behalf of the people in the state of Washington, I want all those individuals to know that we stand with you.”

What we need right now is the federal government to move very, very, very quickly. We need the federal government to step up and help out folks right here in our community who are really, really hurt and need that help.

Going forward, in order to maintain a constructive partnership, it is imperative that there are no further service disruptions.

Given the significant financial challenges we face in our near-term budget, this is not a problem that can be solved immediately.

That said, causing significant harm and inconvenience to the people of Washington state is not the way to address those issues.