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It’s a mess.
We’re not exactly sure how else to describe it.
The budget process right now in Lansing is a mess.
More than three weeks have passed since the state’s July 1st statutory deadline to complete a budget.
And the principal negotiators in the Republican led-House and the Democratic-controlled Senate all seem resigned to the fact that it’s going to take more time before there’s a compromise in Lansing.
Now that the Legislature has sailed past the July deadline, we’ve heard a few new dates come up. On It’s Just Politics this week, Democratic Senator Darrin Camilleri, Chair of the Senate Pre-K-12 School Aid Budget Appropriations Subcommittee, told us he’s hoping to see a budget deal before the start of the school year. The stalled negotiations affect school districts and higher ed because their fiscal years have already begun (without a budget they don’t know how much money they’ll be getting from the state.)
But, Camilleri also told us “the span between our budgets right now is about as big as the Mackinac Bridge.”
When we asked Republican Representative Tim Kelly, chair of the House School Aid and Department of Education Appropriations Subcommittee, what we should look for to know if any progress is being made, he said “the turning of the leaves.” He went on to say “I don't mean to be flippant, but… it may likely be not until September… pressure puts people on notice. Pressure makes people work… it's unfortunate that Lansing has become more like Washington.”
The pressure Kelly is referring to is October 1st. Constitutionally, the FY 26 budget has to be complete by then. If not, we’re staring at a government shutdown. (We both remember the two short shutdowns in 2007 and 2009 under divided government when Democrat Jennifer Granholm was governor, the Legislature was operating under divided power and the state was hemorrhaging money during the Great Recession).
On a panel with Zoe on Thursday in Traverse City, Democratic Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks said this budget process is ‘not normal.’ Later that evening, during a press conference some 180 miles south in the state Capitol Building, Republican Speaker of the House Matt Hall continued to put the blame on Senate Democrats for the inaction. (Senate Democrats have passed a full FY 26 budget package. House Republicans have not.)
Earlier in the day, in a shocking move, Speaker Hall booted Democratic Representative Alabas Farhat from his position as Minority Vice Chair of the House Appropriations Committee (this is the committee that writes the state budget). To be clear, the Republican House Speaker removed the House Democrats’ lead budget negotiator. And there’s another complication: the nonpartisan state House Fiscal Agency released new numbers this week showing the state could have $677 million less in the new fiscal year because of Congress’ passage this month in D.C. of the One Big Beautiful Bill.
None of these things make the situation any better.
It’s… a mess.
Or, as Representative Farhat noted after his committee removal (as reported by Bridge Michigan’s Simon Schuster): “this town is a f***ing mess.”
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Have questions about Michigan politics? Or, just want to let us know what you want more of (less of?) in the newsletter? We always want to hear from you! Shoot us an email at politics@michiganpublic.org!
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Three weeks since the July 1st statutory deadline and there is still no budget deal in Lansing. A Democrat and Republican lawmaker who are part of budget negotiations at the state Capitol describe where things stand: “the span between our budgets right now is about as big as the Mackinac Bridge.”
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What we’re talking about at the dinner table
Gov dollars: Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson’s campaign for governor announced Thursday that she raised an eye-popping $3.5 million dollars since January. To put that number in context, then-candidate Gretchen Whitmer raised $1.5 million in the same time period in 2017. The Benson campaign reports the contributions came from 27,000 individuals with 95 percent of them under $100 each. As The Hill notes, “The haul also puts Benson ahead of her opponents in the state’s Democratic gubernatorial primary: Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II’s campaign said he raised more than $750,000, while former Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson said his campaign has raised more than $1 million. Gilchrist jumped into the primary in March, and Swanson announced his bid in February.” Not to be outdone, one day later, Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan announced he had raised $3.2 million since January in his independent bid for the state’s top office. His campaign says more than 93 percent of the donors came from Michigan.
He won’t: Michigan Congressman Bill Huizenga announced this week that he is not going to run for Michigan’s open U.S. Senate race in 2026. As The Detroit News reports, the west Michigan Republican made the decision “after teasing a potential bid for months… The move largely clears the GOP field for former U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers, a White Lake Township Republican who has consolidated support from several top Senate Republican leaders in Washington, including Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota and Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, who chairs the Senate Republicans' campaign arm. Rogers had President Donald Trump's endorsement when he ran for Senate last year and lost to Democrat Elissa Slotkin of Holly by about 19,000 votes.” Notus reports that President Trump “directly asked Huizenga not to run for Senate.” It wouldn’t be the first time there have been reports Trump has tried to put his thumb on the election scale this cycle in Michigan. As we noted last month, Trump told Michigan Republican Congressman John James in June that he was “not sure I’m happy” about the fact that James decided to run for Michigan governor next year. As The News explains, “Trump's White House and Republican leaders in Washington ― worried about losing their razor-thin majority in the House ― have been discouraging incumbents in competitive districts from running for higher office.” Just a day after Huizenga made his decision public, Trump posted on social media his endorsement of Rogers.
More subpoenas: The Republican-led state House Oversight Committee approved a slew of new legislative subpoenas this week directed at state departments, including the Attorney General’s office. As newsletter readers know, the oversight committee has aggressively used its subpoena power in this session to squeeze agencies in an executive branch controlled by Democrats. On Tuesday, the committee authorized two subpoenas demanding records related to the end of a criminal investigation by the Attorney General’s office into a Democratic Party fundraiser. Representative Jay DeBoyer (R-Clay), chair of the oversight committee, said the subpoenas were necessary to help come up with improvements to Michigan’s campaign finance laws, but also hinted impeachment could be on the table. A separate subpoena asks for records and communications with the Department of State related to a campaign committee to include LGBTQ protections in Michigan’s civil rights law. The committee also demanded an in-person appearance by Michigan Health and Human Services Director Elizabeth Hertel, who is a member of Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s cabinet. GOP members of the committee accused Hertel and the MDHHS of stonewalling their inquiries and said she has declined multiple invitations to appear. A health department spokesperson said there was a scheduling conflict, but she was not dodging the committee. “A subpoena was not necessary to compel the director to appear before the committee,” said MDHHS spokesperson Lynn Sutfin, who shared a letter where Hertel requested an alternate date and a list of topics to be covered in her appearance.
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Yours in political nerdiness,
Rick Pluta & Zoe Clark
Co-hosts, It’s Just Politics
