LANSING — In a rare move, Michigan House Republicans cut funding for a litany of programs with little notice and no debate. The maneuver used by the House Appropriations Committee objected to using already appropriated funding carrying over to the next year.
A list of items cut from the budget is below:
- $18.5 million for RxKids, a program for pregnant women and new mothers.
- $56,600 to provide wigs to Michiganders undergoing cancer treatment.
- $1.3 million in funding for the Office of Global Michigan.
- $1.9 million in grants to symphony orchestras.
- Funding for the Holocaust Memorial Center in Farmington Hills.
Reactions to the cuts, which may not be able to be fully recovered since some of the funds are from the federal government, went heavily against the move and were bipartisan.
Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks: “There’s a special place in hell for someone willing to yank money away from moms and babies 15 days before Christmas. I hope Matt Hall takes this holiday season to look within himself and reevaluate what exactly he’s doing here.”
Democratic State Representative Will Snyder: “For this process to be laid out in a time frame where we were handed the document as soon as we gaveled in and we had no discussion, to even be able to ask questions. This is the most untransparent and democratic process that I’ve ever seen and been a part of.”
Republican State Representative Rylee Linting: “I strongly OPPOSE the cuts that were made to our state budget this afternoon. Far too many communities are missing out on important programs, and too many good ideas were thrown out with the bad.”
Democratic State Representative Samantha Steckloff: “Today was by far the darkest day I have ever served in the Michigan Legislature. Today, House Republicans clawed back hundreds of millions of dollars that were appropriated to programs like maternal health, mental health services, childhood cancer programs, funding for the Holocaust Memorial Center, workforce development and so much more. Today was a dark day!”
