Michigan Capitol | Susan J. Demas
The respective leaders of the Michigan Legislature and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Thursday evening announced that they have reached a budget deal just days before the end of the current fiscal year, by proxy avoiding a government shutdown and raising sorely needed money for roads.
The details of the deal are still scarce, but it would include passage of a school aid budget and the state budget on time despite months of uncertainty and political jousting between the Republican-controlled House and the Democratic-controlled Senate, while Whitmer, for the most part, sat on the sidelines until it became apparent that she needed to step in and push things along.
That said, House Speaker Matt Hall (R-Richland Township) said Thursday that the agreement was to a framework and a foundation to move things forward, with the various appropriations subcommittee chairs expected to work Friday and Monday to dig deeper into the numbers and pass the respective budget pieces before Tuesday, Sept. 30, the final day of the current fiscal year.
Michigan House Speaker Matt Hall (R-Richland Township) speaks to reporters after tentative budget deal is announced. Sept. 25, 2025 | Screenshot
What is known is that the deal includes a long-term road funding deal and melds the top priorities of Democrats and Republicans alike. The Republicans get to do a victory lap because their calls for eliminating “waste, fraud and abuse” and increasing government efficiency would be a part of the final plan. Democrats, on the other hand, get to keep the budget pieces that they have said will help average Michiganders thrive, which might include free school meals – but that has yet to be seen.
Whitmer, for her part, gets to take potentially the biggest victory lap of all, with her finally getting a divided government Legislature agreeing to nearly $2 billion per year to fix local roads. Hall, following House session on Thursday, said that was closer to $1.5 billion to $1.8 billion, but that’s still a start considering Whitmer had to have the state authorize bonds to fix roads during her tenure in the face of past Republican opposition.
“Today’s agreement in the legislature puts us on a path to lower costs, fix the damn roads, and pass a balanced, bipartisan budget by October 1,” Whitmer said in a statement. “I am grateful to Majority Leader Brinks, Speaker Hall, and legislators on both sides of the aisle for working hard to move this budget forward. In Michigan, we’ve proven again and again that we can work together to get things done by staying focused on the kitchen-table issues that make a real difference in people’s lives.”
Whitmer also touched on the burgeoning uncertainty over the national economy under President Donald Trump, saying she was “proud that we are taking action to lower costs, cut taxes for seniors and working families, create jobs, fund schools, fix roads, keep people safe and healthy, and so much more.”
Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks (D-Grand Rapids) said the people of Michigan deserve a budget that makes their lives better, one that boosts education, improves roads and protects health care in the state.
“The framework we have agreed to reflects the priorities of Michiganders from every region, and while no budget will be a perfect product, I am confident that the final result we vote on next week will have features that benefit every resident,” Brinks said in a statement.
Hall also said the framework offers an opportunity to reform “Michigan’s broken process and get much better value for the taxpayers.”
“There is still work to be done, but it is an important step that all of us are agreeing to implement meaningful tax relief for Michigan workers and seniors, bring transparency and accountability to the earmark process for the first time, and eliminate ghost employees,” Hall said. “Government has grown far too much in recent years, and we need to trim the waste, fraud and abuse in Lansing. That’s how we can afford the real priorities of Michigan families – like education, public safety, and fixing our local roads and bridges. This agreement puts us in position to do just that.”
This is a developing story and will be updated later.
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