Pure Michigan Among Programs Axed By Line-Item Veto From State Budget

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Among the programs being cut by line-item vetoes by Governor Whitmer in the new state budget is the immensely popular Pure Michigan marketing campaign. The governor vetoed 147 line items on Monday, with those carrying a combined total of $947 million, as she signed the 16 budget bills into law and prevented a state government shutdown. On Twitter, the governor talked about the vetoes without giving details.

“I took my role as governor very seriously,” said Whitmer. “I had to use the line-item veto to try to clean up budgets that were a complete mess, built on phony numbers, using funds in the wrong way, usurping executive power. These are important things that I had to eliminate from this budget.”

Whitmer’s budget proposal called for a $5 million cut in funding for Pure Michigan, while Republicans increased that funding by $1 million over the last fiscal year that ended on Monday. Her veto of the program cut $37 million from the budget. House Speaker Lee Chatfield tells the Michigan News Network now that the governor has done her part to sign the bills, they’re inviting her back to the bargaining table to work out supplemental spending plans.