Gov. Gretchen Whitmer brought this year's prolonged state budget process to end, signing into law spending plans for state government and education through Sept. 30, 2026, the first she brokered under a divided Michigan Legislature with a GOP-led Michigan House of Representatives and Democratic-led Michigan Senate.

The budget, signed Tuesday, Oct. 7, delivers funding for Whitmer's signature campaign pledge to "fix the damn roads," though it includes less money than either the governor or House Republicans had sought. The overall size of the state budget is smaller than last year's, a key aim of Republican lawmakers. Senate Democrats, meanwhile, secured continued funding for free breakfast and lunch for Michigan students, a goal the governor shared.

For months, delays and fights over

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