Rep. Ryan Berman | Michigan House Republicans
Rep. Ryan Berman | Michigan House Republicans
State House Rep. Ryan Berman (R-Commerce Township) said in column he wrote for the Michigan House Republicans website that he opposes massive federal money awards to shore up budget shortages for states that he maintains have acted irresponsibly.
He added that furthering education in Michigan remains a top priority. “Some clarity is needed,” Berman wrote, according to Michigan House Republicans.
Berman said he is concerned that unrestricted bailout funds would be used to shore up states that have mismanaged their budgets, and he identified Illinois and California as two prime examples.
According to Berman, for a decade, the state of Michigan has prudently managed its budget, avoided debt and put away emergency funding into a rainy-day account. Now Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, along with legislators in Illinois and California, is asking for federal bailout money, some of it to come from Michigan taxpayers.
Berman said Illinois asked for $41.6 billion for COVID-19 aid, including $10 billion for a pension system he described as “mismanaged.” He added that since no stipulations are set on how the money should be spent, it amounts to giving these states a “blank check.”
He believes Michigan should use the funding it already has, including $1.1 billion left over from the state’s budget last fall and $1.2 billion in its emergency rainy-day fund. Berman reports that Michigan received $480 million from the federal government for education and $3.8 billion for coronavirus-related shortages.
He urged a review of the available funding to see how much can be designated for schools before asking the state’s taxpayers to pony up more.
Berman said the future budget picture is bleak due to pandemic-related dips in income and sales taxes, and that government cuts will likely be needed. But he maintained that the three pillars of the system remain: education, public safety and infrastructure.
He urged his constituents that these three essential public services remain untouched and that shortfalls be focused on other areas.
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