Republicans Cut Waste, Democrats Cry Wolf on School Lunches
Lansing, MI – Less than a week before Michigan’s budget deadline, Lansing politicians remain at an impasse. House Republicans passed a budget that cuts waste, fraud, and abuse to make sure vital programs and infrastructure are funded without new taxes. Lansing Democrats are opting for tax increases and clinging to wasteful programs that do not deliver for taxpayers.
Democrats have also been using the budget crisis as a scare tactic, pushing a false narrative about school lunches. Free and reduced-cost lunches for low-income families are federally funded, and that money does not stop if the Michigan government shuts down. The House Republican plan also includes the cost of universal school lunches, but instead of forcing schools to spend money the way Lansing sees fit, they leave it up to individual districts to decide what their students need.
State Representative John Roth explains that “we didn’t remove, or don’t eliminate, school lunches, breakfasts, or dinners, or picnics on Saturday if they want.”
Representative Parker Fairbairn said the House Republican team was meeting “almost every hour of the day” to negotiate a budget and avoid a shutdown.
House Republicans, led by Speaker Matt Hall, have been advocating for a responsible plan that prioritizes classrooms, roads, and public safety, but Senate Democrats have been working to protect the Lansing bureaucracy and wasteful spending.
That waste is real. Representative Steve Frisbie mentioned thousands of “ghost jobs,” which are positions that were budgeted for but never filled, that House Republicans have found in last year’s budget. Rather than filling the positions, state agencies take that money and use it as a slush fund for their pet projects.
In March, House Republicans also passed a government shutdown prevention plan, which would make sure that essential services had funding in the event that Senate Democrats irresponsibly shut down the government.
“The House Republican budget allows local schools to make decisions on how to invest in students, whether it be free lunch or more classroom resources.. Anyone saying anything else is simply being dishonest,” said Gabe Butzke, a spokesperson for Michigan Forward Network. “What’s really on the chopping block is the waste, fraud, and abuse in state government that prioritizes Lansing insiders over Michigan families.”
