State Rep. Sarah Lightner, the ranking Republican on the House Appropriations Committee, issued the following statement after today’s Consensus Revenue Estimating Conference:

“All of the evidence points to future state revenue falling, but the Democrat majority is spending money like they have it to burn. The budget proposals they have brought forward so far are simply unsustainable, and the projections we received today confirm that.

“Even the banking industry is stressed to the point where we have seen some institutions fail recently – one of many good reasons to be careful about state spending.

“Moving forward, we need to be cautious and smart about how the state invests taxpayer dollars. We should not be wasting money on political projects and programs that expand the size of our government in ways we won’t be able to afford in the future. Even some members of the Democrat majority in the House have acknowledged that their spending proposal is not sustainable in future years. It’s time to buckle down and make responsible, targeted investments in areas that will benefit Michigan families and leave our state better prepared for the future.

“The people of Michigan don’t want electric school buses and a fancy new fleet of electric vehicles for state employees to drive. They want the state to fix local roads, invest in quality education for their kids, and make sure their communities are safe.”

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