State Rep. Donni Steele (R-Orion Township) today raised concerns over the Michigan Senate’s recently passed budget for the upcoming fiscal year. The proposed budget would total $86 billion, $3.5 billion more than the last budget, and $28 billion more than when Governor Whitmer first took office.

            Notably, the Senate’s budget contains a $3 billion placeholder for road funding, but without any indicator of how to pay for it, which would likely lead to an increase in taxes for Michigan residents. Steele found the lack of a plan concerning.

            “The past couple of years we’ve seen unsustainable increases in spending with little to no improvement in our state’s infrastructure,” Steele said. “At the beginning of 2023, the state had a $9 billion surplus, but that was quickly squandered. Michigan residents desperately want road improvement, but they also want to keep as much of their paychecks as possible. We should deliver on both. Without properly outlining revenue sources for this multi-billion-dollar placeholder, the senate’s plan will surely raise our constituents’ taxes, and I am firmly against that.”

            Earlier this year, Steele and several colleagues introduced a $3.145 billion revenue-neutral funding plan for Michigan road improvement, which would not raise taxes. The road funding plan passed the House in March. Steele, who chairs the House Appropriations Subcommittee on State and Local Transportation, said the Senate should consider taking up the House’s plan instead.

            “We’ve already demonstrated that it’s possible to secure over $3 billion in long-term, sustainable road funding without increasing the tax burden on our constituents,” said Steele. “Tax hikes are just as unpopular as potholes, and Michigan residents shouldn’t have to deal with either. By building a better budget, we can improve roads without raising taxes.”

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