LANSING – State Representative Shanelle Jackson (D-Detroit) said today 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.
"We must ensure we are making the right kind of cuts that won't affect Michigan's priorities," Jackson said. "The Senate's all-cuts approach is not the way we should look at balancing our budget. It is completely unacceptable to use our children's education, police and fire protection and health care for our most vulnerable residents as political bargaining tools. There still is much more work that needs to be done."
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.