LANSING, MI (WKZO AM/FM) — Lawmakers in Lansing are continuing to negotiate a budget for the next fiscal year.
In a press conference Wednesday, Governor Whitmer said that Republicans have yet to come up with a plan to fund roads and schools.
“I’m working day and night to get a deal that will make bold, meaningful investments in our schools and infrastructure,” Governor Whitmer said. “The problems we’re facing are decades in the making, and they’re a result of leaders in Lansing kicking the can down the road and using School Aid Fund dollars to fill gaps in the budget. That changes this year. I’m not going to sign a budget that doesn’t include a real fix. It’s time for Republicans to stop playing games, come to the table, and negotiate a real solution.”
Michigan House Speaker Lee Chatfield says that Whitmer’s budget plan is unreasonable for Michigan citizens.
“The fact is, schools in our state need a budget,” Chatfield said. “Local units of government in our state need a budget, the people of our state deserve a budget. We need to continue working on that and to talk about roads, but [Whitmer] is holding the budget process hostage because of our unwillingness to tax every driver in the state.”
Chatfield maintains that both sides need to be working together.
“I’m calling on the Governor to continue budget negotiations and drop her insistence on a 45-cent gas tax,” Chatfield said. “We cannot hold the budget hostage because of her desire to tax every driver in the state.”
Whitmer’s team is reportedly preparing for a government shutdown in case a budget can’t be agreed on by the end of September.
