Budget & Tax Policy

For the past decade, Michigan has struggled to balance its budget with state revenues insufficient to fund basic services and programs.

In fact, state revenues are at their lowest point since 1970.

In response, state leaders have cut more than $4 billion in spending since 2001, including millions in funding for children and familiy services such as early education, k-12 education, abuse and neglect revention, adolescent health centers, mental health, home visitation, maternal and infant health, dropout prevention and recovery, teen parenting, family planning, infant mortality, lead poisoning prevention, and many, many more programs serving our most vulnerable populations.

Missing have been the longer-term structural solutions necessary to correct Michigan's ongoing structural deficit.

Children also must be prioritized at the federal level.  In 2011, less than one-tenth of the federal budget was spent on children.  Since 1960, the children's share of the budget has diminished by a quarter, while spending on the non-child portions of entitlement programs has more than doubled.

Investing in the next generation is critical to the future of our state and nation.