State Is Spending More Under Whitmer — But Not On Fixing Roads

State spending in Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s 2021-22 fiscal year budget is up from previous years. But after adjusting for inflation, the amount of state money available to the transportation department — the department responsible for road repairs — is actually down.

State spending from state sources is up 5.3% after inflation in the current budget when compared to the 2018-19 budget, the last budget approved by Whitmer's predecessor.

But compared to four years ago, the amount of state revenue from state sources allocated to the Michigan Department of Transportation is actually down 3% after adjusting for inflation.

So while the state of Michigan under Whitmer has more and is spending more, the state’s revenue gains are not going to a key promise of Whitmer’s 2018 campaign — fixing the roads.

In the 2018-19 budget, $3.64 billion in state spending from state sources was allocated to the transportation budget, which includes road repairs. The amount is up to $3.70 billion in the 2021-22 budget, but after adjusting for inflation, that is a decrease from four years ago.

The 2018-19 Michigan budget authorized spending $34.4 billion in state dollars from state sources, which does not including include local or federal money. Total state spending from state sources this year is $37.9 billion.

Whitmer releases her 2022-23 budget recommendation on Feb. 9.