Michigan House Republicans’ swift and unprecedented move to slash hundreds of millions in previously appropriated funds has prompted a potentially prolonged wait as officials scramble to uncover details on the cuts.
Republicans on the House Appropriations Committee on Dec. 10 invoked a rarely used provision in state law that gives them unilateral authority to deny requests from the State Budget Office to carry over unspent funds from the previous state budget to the next fiscal year. As part of a campaign by House Speaker Matt Hall, R-Richland Township, to cut spending he deems wasteful, GOP lawmakers cut about $645 million appropriated for the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s administration had hoped to keep funds flowing to the programs awarded the money.
The money was included in the budget crafted when Democrats held majorities in both chambers of the Legislature. While Democrats still control the Senate, Republicans now control the House of Representatives.
The vote infuriated Democrats who have described the cuts as “cruel” and “evil.” Deep uncertainty has accompanied their anger. Spokespeople for the State Budget Office and impacted state departments said they were reviewing the cuts the day after the vote and couldn’t immediately provide details on their impact. It could take awhile to gather that information.
State Rep. Regina Weiss, D-Oak Park, said during a Dec. 12 news conference it will take at least a week — perhaps longer — to develop a full list of cuts Republicans approved. “So we don’t even really know — they don’t really even know — what all was cut, and we’re not going to see the final analysis of that for a little bit of time here,” she said.
As they face an informational void, those staring down cuts expressed fury with House Republicans’ move.
At St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in downtown Grand Rapids, the Rev. Jedediah Fox pointed to visible renovation work in the room, saying the church had received a state grant that would allow it to modernize space where meals and pop-up dental care are provided to those in need. “We want to draw attention to this in the hope that we can find some resolution that allows all of us to do this good work for all Michiganders who are hurting,” Fox said at a Dec. 12 news conference.
Lisa Wideman, president and CEO of Meals on Wheels Western Michigan, said the funding lapse would delay and possibly ultimately halt renovation work on the organization’s kitchen at its Grandville headquarters. The chapter feeds 6,000 older adults in Kent and Allegan counties each day. It’s not immediately clear what specific pool the Meals on Wheels chapter was receiving funding from, but Wideman said not being able to pay for equipment and contractors in January would threaten the entire project. “And that is going to be really devastating to our community,” she said.
John George, who heads the nonprofit Detroit Blight Busters, which boards up abandoned properties and renovates homes in the city, similarly joined the chorus expressing profound dismay with the Republican cuts. “Matt Hall should be ashamed of himself,” he said during a Dec. 12 virtual news conference hosted by House Democrats. “This is not pork barrel, this is main street U.S.A.,” he added. A state grant for Detroit Blight Busters appears on a list of cuts by House Republicans shared by Whitmer’s office.
Democrats in Lansing have alluded to potential legal action over the House Appropriations Committee’s slashing of work projects from the 2025 state budget, while Hall has floated the possibility of restoring some of the impacted funding in a supplemental spending measure in 2026.
Multiple programs might be funded through a single budget line item such as “Community Enhancement Grants,” but an appropriations committee, in reviewing work project requests, can’t single out specific projects and can only disapprove of the entire line item.
Contact Clara Hendrickson at chendrickson@freepress.com or 313-296-5743. Contact Arpan Lobo at alobo@freepress.com
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: After House GOP’s unprecedented cuts, a potentially long wait for info
Reporting by Clara Hendrickson and Arpan Lobo, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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