Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed laws yesterday that put new rules in place over how, and when, lawmakers can request earmarks. These are the dollars, often known as pork or pork-barrel-spending, that go to specific districts or projects at the request of individual lawmakers.
Historically, it’s a big part of budget-making. But, the process has often been secretive. And, in recent years, the amount of money that’s been requested has skyrocketed - hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars of taxpayer money. The process has led to criminal charges and investigations into corruption at the state Capitol.
Bridge Michigan’s Simon Schuster joins It’s Just Politics this week to dig into the new laws and whether they might actually bring more transparency to Lansing.
Meanwhile, Michigan Republicans ask for federal oversight of Michigan’s 2026 elections
A group of nearly two dozen Michigan Republican lawmakers has asked the federal government to oversee Michigan’s elections next year. The GOP members of both the state House and Senate sent a letter last week to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, an appointee of President Donald Trump.
The letter escalates the ongoing tension between legislative Republicans and Democratic Secretary of State Jocely Benson. One of the Republicans’ arguments: Benson will be supervising next year’s election when she, herself, is running for governor. They say Benson’s office can’t be trusted to be fair and impartial when she’s on the ballot.
But, there’s a long history of secretaries of state overseeing elections when they’re on the ballot. And, elections in Michigan are actually run locally, with hundreds and hundreds of people watching over polling places and ballot counting, and local clerks who actually administer the elections. One of those clerks is Ottawa County’s Justin Roebuck, who joined Zoe and Rick to discuss the state request for federal oversight.
Want to get political updates from Zoe and Rick straight to your inbox? Sign up for the It's Just Politics newsletter!
