Whitmer signs final budget as Michigan governor
By Elyse Apel | The Center Square
(The Center Square) – Bucking last year’s trend, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed bipartisan budgets this week.
This comes just a few weeks after the state legislature pulled an all-nighter to give final approval to the fiscal year 2026-27 budget. They also passed more than 60 bills, including the separate School Aid budget.
This is Whitmer’s eighth and final budget she will sign as governor.
“I’m proud of our work over the last seven-and-a-half years to grow Michigan’s economy, from creating tens of thousands of jobs to historic investments in communities and people,” Whitmer said. “Let’s keep building on that progress and helping more families ‘make it’ in Michigan.”
The fiscal year 2026-27 budget totals approximately $75.2 billion, down from roughly $76 billion in the 2025-26 fiscal year. Of the overall budget, the separate School Aid budget accounts for roughly $22.9 billion.
This budget comes after the Legislature officially missed the statutory July 1 deadline for approving the budget for the second year in a row. Unlike last year, however, lawmakers approved the budget months before the Oct. 1 start of the new fiscal year.
Republicans applauded the budget’s reduction in overall spending.
“Michigan families expect their government to spend responsibly, live within its means, and focus on results,” said state Rep. Ann Bollin, R-Brighton Township. “We took a hard look at how state departments have been spending money, asked tough questions, and built a budget based on real needs rather than automatic spending increases.”
Bollin joined Whitmer at the state capital as she signed the budget into law on Tuesday.
Democrats emphasized continued investments in education, healthcare and social programs.
“Our budget puts Michiganders first and provides stability at a time when people need it more than ever,” Michigan Senate Democrats said in a statement. “We worked hard to lower costs, strengthen schools, support working families, and help create opportunity for people across our state.”
Also on Tuesday, Whitmer headed to Adler Elementary School in Southfield with other legislative leaders to sign the state’s new School Aid budget.
“We worked hard during the budget process to cut unnecessary spending so we could invest those dollars where they matter most,” said Rep. Ron Robinson, R-Utica. “That work paid off, and the result is a budget that puts more resources where they will have the greatest impact for students, teachers, and schools.”
The budget will increase the state’s allowance by $250 per student, bringing per-student funding to a record high of $10,300. That is an increase of 2.5% in spending per student.
The budget bills were bipartisan and required months of negotiations between the Republican-controlled House and Democrat-controlled Senate.
Earlier this year, House Republicans approved a $75.8 billion spending proposal, while Whitmer and Senate Democrats backed budgets totaling approximately $88.1 billion. The final budget approved fell below all those proposals.
Elyse Apel, a graduate of Hillsdale College, is a reporter for The Center Square covering Minnesota and Michigan. Her work has appeared in a range of national outlets, including the Washington Examiner, The American Spectator, and The Daily Wire.