State Rep. Brian BeGole, of Antrim Township, issued the following statement after a budget recommendation from Gov. Gretchen Whitmer was presented on Wednesday, Feb. 5:

“Government spending has grown by 43% since Gov. Whitmer took office. The unsustainable spending must stop, and taxpayer dollars must be used more responsibly.

“It’s concerning the governor can spend over $80 billion without providing the resources that are necessary for our local and county road agencies to fix roads from driveway to highway. I’m interested to see details on how she plans to fix local roads like she promised years ago, but my worry is it’ll involve tax increases on workers and families who are already struggling with their own budgets. She bonded for billions of dollars to repair state-owned highways and saddled our state with debt in the process. We need solutions and not more spending.

“It’s good to see the governor following the lead of House Republicans on fixing our broken education system and bringing needed transparency to the state’s grant process. We will continue working to deliver a better, more responsible way forward with public dollars and I’m hopeful we can find more common ground in the months ahead.”