House Republicans passed two appropriations bills on Thursday, which would cut the state budget by almost 92%, gutting investments to a wide range of areas including state police, education, school meals for kids, veterans services and the Department of Health and Human Services.
Michigan Democrats are outraged, saying that these bills come as Republicans claim to be calling for more transparency in government.
Democratic lawmakers say they were notified about this “reckless attempt to subvert the budget process” minutes before the bills were called for a vote. In response, House Democrats voted against the bills and held a press conference to voice their concerns.
“The Republicans on the state and federal levels are taking a scorch and burn approach to the democratic process and to our necessary agencies. Democratic lawmakers were given extremely short notice before these bills were added to the agenda. The bills obliterate investments to many areas and state agencies. Sneaky and shameful, that is what this is. What we need is transparency and good governance — this behavior isn’t it,” said Democratic Leader Ranjeev Puri (D-Canton). “This Republican government shutdown plan will cause Michiganders to lose their jobs and access to critical services. The Republican plan will hurt families, plain and simple.”
House Bill 4162 aims for a 25% reduction in K-12 schools, stripping away universal school lunches and resources from classrooms, educators and most importantly, students. House 4161 additionally outlines a 100% cut in the Michigan Department of Education and MiLEAP.
“Our schools are already struggling to get by as it is. This reckless and irresponsible legislation coming down on the same day the federal Department of Education is set to be dismantled is very telling and outright dangerous,” said state Rep. Kelly Breen (D-Novi). “Republicans are standing firm in their blatant disregard for the people of our state. They are attacking almost every service that builds up Michiganders — from public safety to education — and making it clear that they just don’t care about our students.”
“Students and families in Michigan rely on dollars from our state budget to get by,” said state Rep. Stephanie A. Young (D-Detroit). “Cutting billions from our School Aid Budget will have real life damaging effects on everyday Michiganders. This is a sad day for Michigan students and families. Every Republican in this chamber voted to put students at risk of not receiving the quality education they deserve, whether it’s kids learning on an empty stomach or losing out on quality investments in classroom programs.”
This comes just one day after it was announced the White House plans to lay off up to 83,000 workers in the Veterans Affairs Department. These bills passed by the Michigan House Republicans would cut the Military and Veterans Affairs budget by almost 49% for the general fund and another 38% of its gross investments.
“Properly investing in our military and veterans continues to be a top priority for me. We’ve seen an attack on the treatment of this care and support they deserve,” said state Rep. Denise Mentzer (D-Mt. Clemens). “I will not and cannot stand for this; our military and veterans deserve better. Selfridge Air National Guard Base deserves better. They have sacrificed so much to protect and defend the very values that Republicans are attacking — our freedoms and democracy.”
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