LANSING – State Representatives Deb Kennedy (D-Brownstown) and Douglas Geiss (D-Taylor) today said that although Governor Jennifer M. Granholm signed the final state budgets to avoid a government shutdown, the overall budget takes Michigan in the wrong direction and is the result of the Senate's refusal to fund priorities such as education that will turn our state around.
"While another government shutdown has been avoided, there is no solace in this budget that will lay waste to our schools and our communities," Kennedy said. "The Senate's 'nothing-but-cuts' budget is nothing more than a broken promise to our hard-working students looking to go to college and our dedicated police and firefighters who protect our streets."
House Democrats have more than met the Senate halfway in working to resolve the state's budget crisis. House Dems have reduced state spending by more than $2 billion and agreed to use the Senate plan as a starting point for negotiations. The Senate, however, turned their backs on compromise, failing to show the effort that Michigan residents expect from their leaders.
"This slash-and-burn budget not only jeopardizes our state's economic future, it practically robs our kids of a fair shot at a good education that will help prepare them for the 21st century economy," Geiss said. "The budget battle may have ended, but the fight to protect our schools, keep our teachers in the classroom and restore the Promise Scholarship is far from over."