Many Republican House members believe the economy should fully reopen ASAP. | Adobe Stock
Many Republican House members believe the economy should fully reopen ASAP. | Adobe Stock
After the Consensus Revenue Estimating Conference, Rep. Shane Hernandez (R-Port Huron), chair of the Michigan House Appropriations Committee, said Michigan needs to fully reopen the economy safely while being smart about state government budgeting.
Michigan may be seeing a more balanced budget this year, but the state is still in the process of recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic, and the sooner the economy fully reopens, the better it will be for the state, according to Hernandez.
“While our state budget situation is better than previously expected, we by no means are out of the woods. Michigan’s economy has not recovered -- hundreds of thousands of people are out of work, and many job providers continue to struggle. Some have already decided they’re never going to reopen," Hernandez said, according to Michigan House Republicans.
Rep. Shane Hernandez
| Michigan House Republicans
“The Trump administration deserves our thanks for buying us some time with the federal response to COVID-19 -- but in no way is federal money a permanent solution. It’s not sustainable over time, and it would be an irresponsible approach for taxpayers and future generations," Hernandez told Michigan House Republicans.
But before economic shutdowns and the coronavirus have a devastating effect on the state budget, Michigan will need to use federal aid to jumpstart the economy. By creating a smart budget, the state can not only save money but also help to reopen the economy quickly and safely.
“Two things must happen right now: The economy must be safely and fully reopened, and we must make wise, conservative budget decisions to avoid bigger problems in the near future," he said, according to Michigan House Republicans. "This includes continuing to work on reductions in state spending and reinvesting in the state’s rainy day fund to lessen the impact of budget cuts that would be needed when the federal funding ends. These are the steps necessary for a sustainable recovery and a healthy state budget over the long term.”
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