LANSING, Mich. – With just 15 days until a potential state government shutdown, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer formally entered the state budget fray on Tuesday morning in Lansing.
House Republicans and Senate Democrats have been at a stalemate over the budget for months, with the Senate passing its budget in May and the House passing its budget three weeks ago on Aug. 26.
“Let me be clear, it’s not one that I would sign, but they passed it 21 days ago,” Whitmer said on Tuesday (Sept. 16) morning. “My budget team will continue to participate in all the conversations, but putting up the votes and actually passing the budget is the legislature’s responsibility. If we do this right, we can all win.”
State Sen. Republican leader Aric Nesbitt said in response to the speech:
“It’s time to lead Democrats to the bargaining table to pass a balanced budget that fixes Michigan’s crumbling roads and bridges, puts kids first by focusing on reading and math, and respects taxpayers enough to not reach deeper into their pockets.”
State employees and contractors stand to be among the biggest losers in a potential shutdown, which would occur if a budget is not passed before Oct. 1.
The proposed House Republican budget, led by House Speaker Matt Hall, claims to have eliminated “Waste, fraud, and abuse,” something that has angered Senate Democrats who feel the House is not taking negotiations seriously.
“It was full of egregious cuts and a lot of gimmicks,” State Sen. Sarah Anthony, a member of the appropriations committee, said. “Shell games that would leave our state in a pretty dangerous position.”
The Michigan State Police was one of the organizations targeted in the House Budget.
MSP would face nearly $50 million in cuts in its proposal.
“At a time when law enforcement needs more support in terms of personnel and training, this budget takes a major step backward in defunding these priorities,” MSP Spokesman Col. James Grady said in a statement. “I hope they will reconsider their position and make public safety a priority.”
Without a passed state budget, children’s agencies and programs could also be at greater risk.
School districts, such as Royal Oak’s, could lose their ability to provide free breakfast and lunch to students.
“We do not have much information as to which parts of our department is going to be affected and which part of other departments that are going to be affected,” Ray Nesser, a DHS employee who works in Oakland County, said. “Fear, uncertainty, confusion, the great unknown, so to speak. We’re sort of out of the position of knowing whether we’re going to have our jobs.”
Whitmer and Anthony are holding out hope that some sort of negotiations will take place, but Anthony added that there would be no half-measures or stopgaps. A full budget must be passed.
“A lot of people throughout Michigan are going to be hurt by this,” UAW Local 6000 President Rachel Dickinson said. “This is not a political fight. I mean, it’s on each side of the aisle, people are going to be hurt.”