State Rep. Brad Slagh (R-Zeeland) shared his disappointment with the state budget plan signed into law by the governor today that inflates the state budget to $81.7 billion and grows government with more than 1,000 new state employees added to our bureaucracy:

“Some $3.9 billion dollars were added to the budget at the last minute without any discussion or deliberation whatsoever; this elitist spending mentality is a disservice to the people of Michigan, and it’s not the way state government is supposed to work under our representative democracy.

“Even before those funds were quietly added, this budget came to an unprecedented total that grows the size of our government in an imprudent and unwise manner. We had a unique opportunity to use our budget surplus to bolster our state’s rainy-day fund, pay down our debts to reduce interest payments, saving billions in taxpayer dollars down the road and improving our roads and infrastructure. Instead, the governor and her Democrat allies in the Legislature doled out billions upon billions for pet projects and corporate handouts.

“The people of West Michigan are working hard to make wise financial choices with their family budgets amid rising inflation – but Lansing politicians won’t do the same. These increases go against the values of those I serve, are unsustainable and will result in costly tax increases on our residents in the years to come, which is why I opposed this spending plan.”