Rep. Wendzel Blasts Budget Vetoes

paulinewendzel-6
paulinewendzel-6

On Monday, Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed the current fiscal year budget into law, but did so with 147 line item vetoes that took nearly $1 billion in spending off the table. Freshman state Representative Pauline Wendzel of Watervliet is still upset about how it was done.

“She said she line item vetoed a lot of items because our budget wasn’t responsible,” Wendzel tells WSJM. “I think we passed a very responsible budget, and in the last weeks, she left the negotiation table.”

The governor has said she is open to negotiating all of the spending from the line item vetoes, but Wendzel says most Republicans aren’t interested.

“We passed a budget. The budget’s done. It’s time to move on. We passed it in a bipartisan manner, and she left the negotiation table. It’s time to move on and talk about other policy issues,” says Wendzel.

Wendzel notes the governor campaigned on a pledge to fix the roads, but took out $375 million in road funding. Governor Whitmer contends it was because the money was coming from the General Fund and was not a sustainable, long-term fix.

“I think she’s is just steadfast on a 45¢ gas tax (increase), taxing Michiganders, and most don’t want or need that,” contends Wendzel.

Whitmer told the Michigan News Network that she still feels the gas tax increase is the best option to raise the $2.5 billion both her administration and the administration of former Republican Governor Rick Snyder have said is needed to get Michigan’s roads in good shape.