Monroe Review

Two senators are looking for help from Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to help balance Michigan’s budget, according to a press release from the Republican House website. 

Jim Stamas, Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman (R-Midland), and Shane Hernandez (R-Port Huron), House Appropriations Committee Chairman, called out Whitmer in a statement, accusing her controversial stay-at-home order of adversely affecting the state’s budget for 2021.

“Waiting on a Hail Mary from Congress is not a plan,” Stamas said in the press release. “We now know the full scope of the budget problem and we need the governor to start working with the Legislature to solve it. With each day that goes by without action, the state continues to spend money we don’t have -- making it more difficult to balance the budget.”

At the same time, Whitmer reached out to the federal government for additional funding along with more wiggle room for how Michigan can use the money it has received for relief. While she’s rolled out a savings plan along with spending methods, like providing college tuition for key employees, Hernandez didn’t seem impressed. 

“Talking about free college while facing a massive $3.2 billion deficit in the current budget shows a lack of seriousness in addressing this situation," he said in the press release. "Instead of hoping for federal relief, we need details from the governor on how she wants to resolve this crisis.”

Lawmakers should have the task of making sure the nationwide shutdown doesn’t adversely impact families and entities like schools and businesses too drastically. 

The chairman also issued a letter to Whitmer, requesting that she, the budget director or treasurer, detail how they plan to tackle the budget issue in Michigan according to the press release.

Most recently the May Consensus Revenue Estimating Conference lowered the revenue by $3.2 billion for fiscal year 2020 and $3 billion for the fiscal year 2021.