Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s administration unveiled her proposed budget for 2026 on Wednesday, and already lawmakers are taking issue with the wonky “Democrat math.” Sen. Aric Nesbitt, R-Lawton, who is running to replace the term-limited Whitmer in 2026, took to X on Wednesday to call out at least one line item in Whitmer’s proposed budget that doesn’t seem to add up.
“Democrat math,” Nesbitt wrote. “In her budget recommendation, Gov. Whitmer says she needs to spend $39 million of your money to save $4 million of your money.” The post included a snapshot of Whitmer’s general fund request for “$39 million for Increasing Permitting Efficiency.” The funding would go to “digitizing and indexing the department’s extensive records to create a publicly accessible database, streamlining permitting, improving transparency, and saving taxpayers $4 million annually,” according to the description.
Michigan House Speaker Matt Hall, R-Richland Twp., noted Michigan’s government has increased spending by 43% under Whitmer’s leadership, and Wednesday’s budget proposal “continues that trend.”
Read the Full Story at The Midwesterner
