FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
News from Progress Michigan
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Contact: Jessica Tramontana, jessica@progressmichigan.org, 517-974-6302
Tells Tea Party crowd the state budget is full of “pork”
LANSING – At a January “Citizens Watchdog Training” sponsored by conservative group Americans for Prosperity, AFP’s state director Scott Hagerstrom slammed Gov. Snyder’s roads proposal, telling the crowd that the state budget, which has been fully controlled by Republicans for two years, is full of pork. In the audio clip, Hagerstrom said, “We need to call upon our legislators to take a real hard dive. If they want to raise gas taxes, I think there’s enough money in the current state budget to fund our roads.”
“It’s clear the main roadblock to Gov. Snyder’s road plan are extreme Tea Party groups like Americans for Prosperity,” said Zack Pohl, Executive Director of Progress Michigan. “We need Lansing politicians to stop the political games and start working together to create good-paying jobs. Unfortunately, Tea Party leader Scott Hagerstrom would rather force more cuts to local schools than fix our crumbling roads and bridges. Lansing Republicans need to decide who they really work for – small businesses and middle class families, or Tea Party extremists.”
Hagerstrom also asserted that Mississippi’s government spends too much per capita, and lawmakers should cut Michigan’s budget by $20 billion, or more than 40 percent, to bring it in line with Florida.
Implementing $20 billion in cuts to Michigan’s budget would result in over $816 million cut from Corrections, and over $5.2 billion cut from K-12 and higher education, resulting in a reduction of more than $2,800 in the minimum per-student foundation grant to the lowest-funded K-12 districts.
###
BACKGROUND:
Michigan’s budget for FY 2012-13 was roughly $49 billion. Of that, nearly $2 billion was spent on Corrections, and $12.9 billion was spent on K-12 and higher education. The minimum K-12 foundation grant is now $6,966 per student.
Audio of Scott Hagerstrom at the January 15 “Citizens Watchdog Training” can be heard here.