State Rep. Angela Rigas today voted in support of the state budget plan, which includes implementation of President Trump’s “No tax on tips, overtime, or Social Security income” plan, and makes cuts to waste, fraud, and abuse, leading to an overall reduction in the size of state government. The agreement also includes a restoration of funding for school safety and mental health programming, which was cut by Democrats last year.

“House Republicans came in with a mission to secure tax relief, reduce the size of state government, and restore school safety and mental health programming; and we did just that,” said Rigas, R-Caledonia. “We went into negotiations with the Senate Democrats with a strong, conservative budget plan for Michigan. The Senate didn’t care about anything but their own special project money. They didn’t make it easy on us, but I’m proud we were able to cut through the Senate’s obsession with divisiveness and deliver an incredibly positive product for our state.”

The newly agreed upon budget implements President Trump’s plan to provide tax relief to working families and seniors by eliminating taxes on tips, overtime pay, and Social Security income. This will provide meaningful relief to more than 500,000 Michiganders, helping workers, seniors, and families stretch their paychecks further and keep up with the rising cost of living.

The deal also makes significant cuts to waste, fraud, and abuse in state government, specifically the elimination of 2,000 ghost government employees. These ghost employees are full-time positions requested by departments that are never filled. The departments then pad their slush funds with money they receive for these ghost positions. Eliminating ghost employees saved hundreds of millions of dollars that were redirected into broad, widespread priorities that benefit all Michiganders.

Under Gov. Whitmer, state spending has grown by 43%, with some departments doubling in size. House Republicans put a stop to this runaway government expansion by shrinking the state’s general fund in this year’s budget by $800 million, restoring balance and delivering better value to taxpayers.

After Democrats slashed critical school safety and mental health programs last year, House Republicans fought to ensure this funding was in the final budget. Through tough negotiations, these resources – totaling $321 million to support both public and private schools – are back in place to protect Michigan kids in the classroom.

“Democrats cut this funding last year, so there was no way we were going to leave negotiations without getting back into the budget for next year,” Rigas said. “Our kids deserve a safe place to learn, and our teachers deserve a safe place to work. Getting this funding back into the budget was one of my top priorities this year.”

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