Gov. Whitmer Slashes Millions from Michigan's Police & Prisons Budgets
Democrat governor proves her support for the 'defund the police' movement
© press
Michigan's Democrat governor, Gretchen Whitmer, has slashed millions of dollars from the state's police, prisons, and Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) budgets.
In support of the radical-left "defund the police" movement, Gov. Whitmer cut an eye-watering $115.07 million from the Michigan State Police budget.
Talk radio host Steve Gruber first reported that Whitmer ordered the cuts.
Among other cuts, the governor also slashed a staggering $392.67 million from the Department of Corrections and $36.46 million from the DHHS.
According to Gruber, the cut to the State Police roughly equates to one-quarter of the agency’s entire funding.
© press
The cuts were made as Republican legislative leaders and the governor negotiate how to close a $2.2 billion budget deficit, according to the Detroit Free Press.
Whitmer is replacing a portion of the cut funds — $107 million — with funds from the federal coronavirus stimulus bill.
The real hurt will likely be felt in 2021 when the MSP cuts remain and the additional federal funds are not available to fill the gap, according to Breitbart.
Unlike the federal government, Michigan is required to maintain a balanced budget, so Whitmer and legislative Republicans would need to maintain the massive cut, or some portion of it, or raise taxes.
In June, Whitmer said she understood the sentiment behind the “Defund the Police” effort.
“What is your response to the defunding the police campaigns?” reporter Terrell Jermaine Starr asked Whitmer.
WATCH:
Gov. Whitmer supports the 'defund the police' movement. pic.twitter.com/kEdErH7Xba
— News Thud (@ThudNews) July 23, 2020
“The spirit is really about reprioritizing, rebuilding communities,” she said, “not just policing.”
The governor lamented budgets being “overwhelmingly focused on policing and corrections systems and the criminal justice system.”
© press
Whitmer said it should be focused on “the education of our population,” and a myriad of social programs.
“So do you support the defunding?” Starr pressed, which he described as “taking money from police departments.”
“I think you do all those other things, you don’t need all the money that’s going into police departments,” Whitmer said.
“So, yeah, I mean, the spirit of it, I do support that spirit of it,” she said.
Later that day, she told the Detroit Free Press, “Perhaps the words that I used on ‘The Root’ were maybe a little confusing, but they have never been other than I support rebuilding communities and rebuilding them in a way that creates real opportunity in an equitable and just manner.”
“I don’t believe police should be defunded,” she added.
