Many of the gubernatorial Republicans on stage this afternoon on Mackinac Island have thrown their support behind a “unsustainable” and “short-sighted” tax plan spearheaded by Republican legislators. A major display of the wrong-for-Michigan agenda they continue to push, the plan would have forced billions in cuts statewide to several key initiatives that address the issues that matter to working families, such as public education and law enforcement.
Nevertheless, candidates touted the bill:
- Kevin Rinke similarly indicated his “plain and simple” support for the tax plan. He also criticized Governor Whitmer for vetoing “the latest effort by legislative Republicans to create a school voucher system in Michigan” that would have reduced state investment in education by upwards of $500 million annually.
- Tudor Dixon said she “absolutely” supported ‘phasing out’ funding streams for critical services as quickly as possible. She’s also been a staunch supporter of stripping critical funding from public schools and has said that repealing Michigan’s constitutional ban on using public money for private education is a top priority for her campaign.
- Garrett Soldano called for across-the-board blunt cuts to the budget that take no consideration for the needs and priorities of working families.
Aside from the fact that it “disproportionately helps the state’s wealthiest residents,” these disastrous proposals would have forced more than $1.8 billion in annual cuts to Michigan’s budget. Over just three years, the GOP tax plan would have gutted public education resources to the tune of $624 million being stripped from the school aid fund.
The impacts are even more devastating for the efforts that go towards keeping our streets safe. The GOP tax plan threatened funding for over 5,000 state and local law enforcement officers and civilian employees. The potential impacts on Michigan State Police are even worse, as the cuts would have threatened general fund dollars that provide over 60% of MSP’s budget.
Additionally, Rinke – who has already celebrated new legislation making even bigger cuts to critical services – and Dixon have backed similar versions of a “piss-poor public policy proposal” that would:
- Cut nearly $8 billion from the general fund, threatening funding for thousands of Michigan State Police and slashing nearly two-thirds from the main funding stream for the Departments of Health and Human Services, Corrections, and State Police, on top of half of all revenue for other critical departments .
- Slash $3.5 billion from the School Aid Fund, the state’s main funding source for public schools in line with their similarly disastrous agenda to convert Michigan to a school voucher system that would have reduced state investment in education by upwards of $500 million annually.
Eliminate $600 million in transportation funding and threaten additional federal funds secured with matching state dollars, which would undercut the state’s ability to keep making crucial repairs to roads and bridges.
