(WXYZ) — Governor Gretchen Whitmer has signed the state's 26 budgets, but not before using her line-item veto to slash dozens of items from the bills.
In Whitmer's statement about the signing, her office says she issued 147 line-item vetoes before signing the bills into law.
"The Republican budgets were a complete mess, and today I used my executive powers to clean them up to protect Michiganders,” said Governor Whitmer in the statement. “The state’s budget is a reflection of our values, and make no mistake that public health and safety, access to health care, and protecting classroom spending is more important than handouts to lobbyists and vendors.”
Whitmer also line-item vetoed $375 million in one-time road funding. According to a press release, she remains ready to achieve a "real, long-term funding solution that will actually fix the damn roads."
She tweeted the following statement:
Today I signed all 16 state budgets and issued 147 line-item vetoes. The budgets the Republicans sent me were a mess, and I used my executive power to protect Michiganders public health and safety, access to healthcare, and classroom spending for our children. #MIBudget pic.twitter.com/Upi6EOGD1K
— Governor Gretchen Whitmer (@GovWhitmer) September 30, 2019
According to a press release, Republican budgets cut $185 million from the governor's proposed School Aid Fund budget, including $60 million cut from special education, $97 million cut to at-risk students, $45 million cut to career and technical education students and $80 million cut from the Great Start Readiness Program.
They also cut $65 million from installing hydration stations in Michigan school and $48 million from the Department of Corrections.
Republican Speaker of the House Lee Chatfield issued the following statement on the signing.
This budget impasse was silly and completely avoidable. Instead of working this out together, the governor decided to play political games and walk away from negotiations. Her tactics wasted everybody’s time and manufactured a crisis out of thin air. I hope it was worth it.
“Now that her shutdown threat has been shown to be nothing more than empty words, the cameras will stop rolling and the headlines will move on. Hopefully that means she will finally accept our invitation to come back to the negotiating table and get back to work.
Chatfield also tweeted his response.
This whole budget impasse was silly & avoidable. Now that the governor’s shutdown threat has been shown to be simply empty words, the cameras will stop rolling & headlines will move on. Hopefully that means she will finally come back to the negotiating table and get back to work.
— Lee Chatfield (@LeeChatfield) September 30, 2019
