LANSING, Mich. — A legislative stalemate is underway in Lansing, as both sides of the aisle blame each other for the impasse over the budget. With negotiations stalled, concerns are growing about a potential government shutdown this fall.
Republican House Speaker Matt Hall criticized Senate Democrats during a news conference Wednesday, accusing them of delaying key bills, including a government shutdown prevention plan and the school aid budget. Hall highlighted the House's flexible school funding approach, which he claims empowers local districts.
"They've been setting up this government shutdown because the Democrats think it helps them politically, just like they think it helped them politically to block us from banning cell phones in the classroom," Hall said. "This is all about politics for the Democrats, and they believe politics is more important than the people who are affected by these decisions."
In response, Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks pointed to the Democrats' education budget proposal, which she said aims to increase per-pupil funding, with 50 percent allocated for teacher pay raises and the protection of free school meals statewide. Brinks placed the responsibility for the ongoing stalemate on House Republicans.
"This is completely avoidable stress that we are putting the constituents of our state under as a legislature, and the responsibility lies with the House Republicans, and they need to come to the table and get beyond the chaos that they're causing and really get to work," Brinks stated.
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