Democrats in Michigan pass budget after giving Republicans 45 minutes to read it

Michigan Democrats passed a sweeping $83 billion state budget, cutting teacher pensions and school safety spending to fund ambitious new business projects — and more than $330 million for lawmakers’ pet projects.

Thursday was a difficult day for Republicans. According to Representative Ann Bollin, they had “about 45 minutes to read the bill,” a document that is over 1,000 pages long.

“That’s right, another balanced, bipartisan budget is on the books that will truly improve people’s lives,” tweeted Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer after the budget was passed.

However, Bollin said the budget was far from bipartisan.

“The budget was passed by the Michigan House of Representatives along party lines,” she told the Post. “There was not a single Republican who voted for that budget. So she’s speaking on behalf of one chamber. There was no bipartisan agreement in either chamber. The budget that was presented to her was, in my opinion, partisan and politically driven.”

Because Democrats in Michigan control the House, Senate and governorship, they don’t have to be bipartisan. They can pass sweeping measures without consulting Republicans.

A controversial change in the budget: the reduction of overall contributions to teachers’ pension funds in order to finance other areas.

And funding for a school safety and mental health program will be drastically cut from $328 million to $25 million. In total, Whitmer announced $133 million for such programs, which is still a drastic decrease from previous years.

That’s not to say that Democrats don’t spend a lot on education. In total, the budget includes $19 billion for school aid, split between various programs, including $200 million for free meals for public school students.

Because of their extensive control over Michigan government agencies, Democrats also provide enormous amounts of money to certain corporations.

As Rep. Mike Harris said, “The budget includes $17 million for zoos, $2 million for a boxing gym, $5 million for a theater, more than $18 million for several sports complexes and gymnasiums, $1 million for a public radio station in Detroit, and hundreds of millions more for a variety of other projects and facilities.”

Harris calls these initiatives “donor projects and other waste.”

Harris also accused Whitmer’s administration of a “record of mindless spending,” noting that “an ally of Governor Gretchen Whitmer received $20 million for a new business she started and used the funds to purchase a $4,500 coffee maker and a ticket on an international first-class flight.”

The budget also provides $60 million for Whitmer’s proposed Michigan Innovation Fund, but does not provide guidelines for awarding grants.

Its swift passage was business as usual in Whitmer’s Michigan, where there are no limits to Democratic spending initiatives. The budget will be sent to Whitmer for final approval.