State lawmakers in Michigan have fewer than three weeks to pass a new state budget or face a partial government shutdown.
Despite talks going on for months, Democrats in the Senate majority said Wednesday the negotiations process is far behind schedule.
Appropriations Committee Chair Sarah Anthony (D-Lansing) said she feels recent talks haven’t made much meaningful progress.
“Whether it is work projects or how we are going to address holes related to federal tax changes, none of those pieces have been decided at this juncture. Twenty days before a government shutdown and the major decisions have not been made,” Anthony told reporters during a Wednesday morning press conference.
Democrats blame the Republican House majority for delaying the process by waiting months longer than usual to pass their budget proposal. Republicans accuse Democrats of walking away from the table ahead of a July statutory deadline for passing a budget. There's no penalty for missing that deadline, but it's meant that the school year has started without school districts knowing how much money they'll get from the state.
Meanwhile, several disagreements on topics like road, school, and departmental staff funding stand in the way of a final deal getting done.
The Democratic Senators used Wednesday’s media availability to rebuke many of the statements House leadership has made about the state budget, as well as Republicans' own proposal.
One major claim Republicans have made in recent weeks has been that state departments have been ripping off taxpayers by pocketing millions of dollars allocated for vacant jobs. Leaders within the Republican caucus have pushed back against reporting from the Detroit News that suggested that's not the case.
Republicans were making the case for widespread spending cuts.
But Democrats said money for staffing that doesn’t get spent just goes back to the state’s general fund at the end of the fiscal year. State Senator Mallory McMorrow (D-Royal Oak) said she does see room, however, for more talks about what happens to funding for multi-year projects.
“The idea that we are somehow spending on positions that haven’t been filled instead of that money rolling over to next year is simply false. But a willingness to negotiate on unallocated dollars going back to the general fund to be responsible stewards of taxpayer dollars is an area where there should be bipartisan agreement,” McMorrow said.
Another major holdup in budget talks has been the absence of a deal to fund road repairs.
For months, the Republican-led House and Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer have argued any new state budget needs to include road funding.
On Wednesday afternoon, Whitmer’s office sent a press release urging people to press their state representatives and senators to act.
“I urge Republicans and Democrats to work together to come up with a roads plan to keep fixing our roads. I look forward to working with Speaker [Matt] Hall, Majority Leader [Winnie] Brinks, and others in the state legislature to find a commonsense solution. Both parties will have to compromise to get this done right, and that’s the way it ought to be,” the press release said.
Republicans have proposed shifting around money from taxes paid on fuel sales, and making budget cuts in other areas, to cover roads.
Anthony said that won’t work without also raising revenue somehow.
“I think ultimately, when we get to the point where we’re building a sustainable roads plan, it’s going to take a lot of creativity — both revenue as well as reductions in some of our state services,” Anthony said.
