LANSING, Mich. (WZMQ) – Michigan lawmakers clashed again Wednesday as House Republicans voted to cancel more than $600 million in previously approved state spending, blocking dozens of work projects ranging from local museum grants to health services and environmental programs.
The action came during a tense House Appropriations Committee meeting, where Republicans introduced a 77-item cut list that members said had been crafted behind closed doors. The committee sat at ease for nearly seven hours before reconvening and rejecting the projects in a vote that took less than five minutes.
Republican leaders framed the move as part of a broader effort to rein in state spending.
“We felt it was in the best interest of the taxpayers,” said Rep. Ann Bollin, R-Brighton, who chairs the committee. “It’s not like we can pick. It’s a line item. We can’t go in and pick a project under there that’s a good one… it’s basically the whole line item.”
Democrats blasted the cancellations as reckless and unprecedented, arguing that the cuts will halt small but critical projects across the state.
“Fire stations are gonna have to cancel orders for new trucks, new moms in the U.P. are gonna scramble to pay for an emergency visit to the pediatrician’s office, veterans are gonna struggle to receive the care they need,” Said Minority Leader Rep. Ranjeev Puri.
Work projects are a budgeting tool used to fund ongoing state initiatives after the annual budget is passed. The Legislature has 30 days after the list is sent to approve or deny them. The full list of proposed projects has been available to the public for months, but the list of cuts was distributed only as the hearing began.
Republicans said they believed the spending categories, many of which were created during the 2023–24 Democratic trifecta, were too broad, improperly vetted, or lacked transparency during the earlier budget process. House Speaker Matt Hall argued that some items were approved “in the middle of the night” and deserved renewed scrutiny.
Democrats countered that Wednesday’s vote excluded the public entirely and eliminated programs without giving communities or grant recipients any opportunity to respond.
“If this is the compromise they came to, I don’t even want to imagine how spineless and cold-hearted the original list was,” Puri said.
Hall said Republicans plan to reinstate funding for projects that pass the committee’s transparency standards, likely through supplemental spending bills next year. Democrats say that simply gives GOP lawmakers credit for “fixing” a problem they created and vowed to pursue ways to reverse the cuts.
Lawmakers stressed that the canceled funding will return to the state’s General Fund unless reauthorized.
The rejected projects span nearly every state department, including funding for semiconductor workforce development, tribal education initiatives, drinking-water emergency responses, natural resources upgrades, mobile health clinics, indigent defense grants, work-zone camera safety programs, and major economic development grants.
A full list of all affected Fiscal Year 2025 work projects appears below.
Fiscal Year 2025 Work Projects Reviewed by the House Appropriations Committee
A. Community Colleges
• Reconnect Career and Education Navigators – School Aid Fund – $1,150,000
• MCCA Local Heroes – State General Fund/General Purpose – $250,000
B. Corrections
• Education Improvements – State General Fund/General Purpose – $2,100,000
C. Department of Education
• Sec. 703 – Indigenous Tribal History Professional Learning Project – State General Fund/General Purpose – $750,000
• Sec. 1100 – Charter School Transparency Database – State General Fund/General Purpose – $132,700
D. Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy
• AmeriCorps – Federal Funds – $640,000; State General Fund/General Purpose – $156,800
• Lake Michigan Circuit Phase I – Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy Revolving Loan Fund – $325,000
• Michigan Energy Academy – Inflation Reduction Act – $1,980,000
• Clean Michigan Initiative – Brownfields Response Activities – $15,000,000
E. Michigan Gaming Control Board
• MGCB Application Portal (Continuation) – Fantasy Contest Fund – $407,100; Internet Gaming Fund – $1,707,000; Internet Sports Betting Fund – $853,500
F. Department of Health and Human Services
• SOS Network – State General Fund/General Purpose – $3,000,000
• LAHC Healthy Communities Grant – State General Fund/General Purpose – $2,000,000
• MDHHS IT Projects – Capped Federal Revenues – $1,500,000; Federal Funds – $10,000,000; TANF – $1,500,000; State GF/GP – $5,000,000
• Prenatal and Infant Support Program – TANF – $18,489,200
• Children’s Campus Renovation – State GF/GP – $1,494,600
• McLaren Greater Lansing Mobile Clinic – State GF/GP – $700,000
• Native American Health Services – State GF/GP – $3,500,000
• Community Impact Center – State GF/GP – $2,500,000
• Local Food Infrastructure Grant – State GF/GP – $2,992,500
• Nurse Workforce Development – State GF/GP – $4,000,000
• Mental Health Services & Community Outreach – State GF/GP – $1,427,800
• Healthy Michigan MCIR – Healthy Michigan Fund – $553,500
• Cranial Hair Prosthesis – State GF/GP – $56,600
• FY25 Drinking Water Declaration of Emergency – State GF/GP – $1,674,500
• Firearm Safety and Violence Prevention – State GF/GP – $1,800,000
• Complex Medical Condition Center – State GF/GP – $16,900
• FY25 Opioid Settlement Funds – Michigan Opioid Healing and Recovery – $7,067,200
G. Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity
• Office of Future Mobility & Electrification – State GF/GP – $2,000,000
• Community Enhancement Grants – State GF/GP – $102,611,500
• Community Museum Grants – State GF/GP – $15,779,700
• Housing Pilot Program – Private Funds – $300,000; State GF/GP – $500,000
• Symphony Grants – State GF/GP – $1,923,100
• Talent and Growth – State GF/GP – $12,859,200
• Office of Global Michigan – Language Access – State GF/GP – $308,000
• Office of Global Michigan – Regional Community Collaboratives – State GF/GP – $1,000,000
H. Legislature – Legislative Service Bureau
• Michigan Veterans Facility Ombudsman – State GF/GP – $368,600
• National Association Dues – State GF/GP – $1,000
I. Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs
• Indigent Defense Commission Grants – State GF/GP – $50,000,000
• Renewable Energy and EIED FY25 Grant – State GF/GP – $5,000,000
• Federal Energy Code and Benchmarking Grants – DOE-OEERE Grants – $3,053,600
J. Bureau of State Lottery
• Lottery IT Replacement/Enhancement – State Lottery Fund – $1,050,100
• Lottery Innovation and Modernization – State Lottery Fund – $1,950,000
K. Michigan Strategic Fund
• Michigan Innovation Fund – 21st Century Jobs Trust Fund – $11,244,000
• Infrastructure Grants – GF/GP Transfer to MSF – $63,478,800
• Talent and Growth – GF/GP Transfer to MSF – $16,362,000
• Downtown Development – GF/GP Transfer to MSF – $150,000
• Agricultural Tourism Hub Redevelopment – GF/GP Transfer to MSF – $2,000,000
• COVID-19 CDBG (Federal CARES) – HUD-CPD Block Grant – $10,942,700
L. Department of Natural Resources
• Fisheries Habitat Improvement Grants – Game and Fish Protection Fund – $50,000
• Nature Awaits Exhibit/Facility Upgrades – State GF/GP – $2,200,000
• Interpretive Signage & Trail Improvements – Park Improvement Fund – $400,000
• RAP Communications Center Relocation – Game and Fish Protection Fund – $50,000; State GF/GP – $50,000
• Body-Worn Camera Implementation – State GF/GP – $400,000
• Archaeological Services – State GF/GP – $200,000
• Visitor Center Upgrades – Park Improvement Fund – $200,000
• Wildlife Building Demolitions & Hazmat Abatement – Game and Fish Protection Fund – $1,000,000
• Fisheries Major Maintenance/Equipment/Cormorant Management – Game and Fish Protection Fund – $1,600,000
M. School Aid
• Sec. 27g – Talent Together Coalition – School Aid Fund – $12,500,000
• Sec. 11s – Drinking Water Emergency – School Aid Fund – $5,000,000; State GF/GP – $1,780,000
• Sec. 97h – Firearms Storage Tip Line – School Aid Fund – $1,000,000
• Sec. 33 – MI Creative Potential – School Aid Fund – $2,500,000
N. Department of State
• ADA Digital Compliance – State GF/GP – $750,000
• Voting Equipment Refresh – Election Administration Support Fund – $7,200,000
• Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security – Transportation Administration Collection Fund – $375,000
O. Department of Technology, Management, and Budget
• OSE Staff Development & Labor Relations Training – State GF/GP – $180,000
• Building Operations – Feminine Hygiene Program – State GF/GP – $1,214,500
• Enterprise IT Investment Projects – State GF/GP – $31,500,000
• Make It In Michigan Competitiveness Fund – $159,310,300
P. State Transportation Department
• Passenger Transportation Services Technology – Comprehensive Transportation Fund – $848,100
• Service Initiatives Projects (2025) – Comprehensive Transportation Fund – $4,131,900
• School Zone Automated Enforcement Pilot – State GF/GP – $2,500,000
• Work Zone Safety Cameras – State Trunkline Fund – $2,940,000
• 2030 Standard Specifications for Construction – State Trunkline Fund – $2,293,700
Q. Department of Treasury
• Assistance for Communities and Schools in Potential Distress – State GF/GP – $1,800,000
• Elective Pay Ambassador Program – State GF/GP – $250,000
• ELITES Project – Delinquent Tax Collection Revenue – $2,375,200; State GF/GP – $26,300
• Revenue Sharing Web Application – State GF/GP – $530,000
R. Universities
• Education Performance Study – State GF/GP – $179,500
