Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s administration unveiled her proposed budget for 2026 on Wednesday, and already lawmakers are taking issue with the wonky “Democrat math.”

Sen. Aric Nesbitt, R-Lawton, who is running to replace the term-limited Whitmer in 2026, took to X on Wednesday to call out at least one line item in Whitmer’s proposed budget that doesn’t seem to add up.

Democrat math. In her budget recommendation, Gov. Whitmer says she needs to spend $39 million of your money to save $4 million of your money. pic.twitter.com/v95qUJXjrS

— Senator Aric Nesbitt (@SenAricNesbitt) February 5, 2025

Go Ad-Free, Get Content, Go Premium Today - $1 Trial

“Democrat math,” Nesbitt wrote. “In her budget recommendation, Gov. Whitmer says she needs to spend $39 million of your money to save $4 million of your money.”

The post included a snapshot of Whitmer’s general fund request for “$39 million for Increasing Permitting Efficiency.”

The funding would go to “digitizing and indexing the department’s extensive records to create a publicly accessible database, streamlining permitting, improving transparency, and saving taxpayers $4 million annually,” according to the description.

Go Ad-Free, Get Content, Go Premium Today - $1 Trial

Nesbitt elaborated on his thoughts about Whitmer’s proposed $83.5 billion record budget in a prepared statement.

“Over the past two years, Gov. Whitmer and her Democrat trifecta lived fat off of bloated budgets built on the backs of Michigan taxpayers. They blew through a historic $9 billion surplus, imposed a $700 million income tax hike on Michigan workers and raided $670 million from the teacher pension fund — all while ignoring necessary investments in our local roads, critical bridges and struggling schools,” Nesbitt said.

“Meanwhile, President Trump is leading from the front and cutting massive amounts of waste at the federal level. It’s time for Michigan Democrats to heed the mandate issued by voters: No more corporate handouts, no more anonymous pet projects, and no more giveaways to radical far-left causes.”

Voters want a smaller state government that prioritizes roads, safety, and education, while reducing corporate giveaways and taxes, he argued.

“It’s time to prioritize Michigan taxpayers over special interest tax-takers,” Nesbitt said.

Michigan House Speaker Matt Hall, R-Richland Twp., noted Michigan’s government has increased spending by 43% under Whitmer’s leadership, and Wednesday’s budget proposal “continues that trend.”

“We are ready to take a hard look at her proposals, some of which are good ideas, but House Republicans will not grow government at the expense of hardworking taxpayers,” he said in a statement.

“Instead of just adding more taxes, fees and hundreds of new bureaucrats, we should be evaluating her new programs – and the programs we already have – to ensure we are providing value for tax dollars,” Hall said.

“There are clear priorities we must focus on, like investing in a Public Safety Trust Fund, fixing our roads, and reversing the Democrats’ income tax hike. These core priorities can be accomplished without raising taxes if we do the right thing and put in the work to get a better return on the taxpayers’ investment.”

In a video on Wednesday – Whitmer did not attend her own budget presentation – the governor alleged her budget would focus on “high-tech” efficiency through efforts to modernize operations, The Detroit News reports.

“This will make sure that your hard-earned taxpayer dollars are being used to address kitchen table issues that matter most to you and your families,” Whitmer said.

Some of Whitmer’s proposals mirror plans already unveiled by House Republicans to address runaway spending on taxpayer-funded corporate subsidies, while others aim to boost spending on education, and send millions to improve infrastructure at Macomb County’s Selfridge Air National Guard Base.

Other elements include new taxes on vape pens and nicotine pouches, as well as higher landfill fees to boost revenues. Conspicuously absent from the plan was critical funding to fulfill Whitmer’s long-neglected promise to “fix the damn roads.”

Sen. Sarah Anthony, D-Lansing, told Interlochen Public Radio the missing road funding is a big deal.

“Having a roads plan baked into the large budget presentation is helpful, so we can actually start getting some of these conversations and decisions,” Anthony said. “So, we’ll just love to hear more. I look forward to hearing more hopefully in the weeks to come.”

Whitmer Budget Director Jen Flood, who presented the budget on Whitmer’s behalf, suggested the governor may offer more details on roads funding in the coming weeks. Whitmer insinuated that fixing the state’s $3.9 billion annual road funding shortfall will require tax increases during a recent speech at the Detroit Auto Show.

“The budget we put forward today is balanced, fiscally responsible, and we look forward to picking up conversations on road funding next week,” Flood said.

House Republicans, meanwhile, laid out a road funding plan in December that would spend more than $3.1 billion on road and bridge improvements without raising taxes. That plan would leverage higher than expected tax revenue, existing corporate income taxes, and a massive reduction in legislative earmarks and corporate tax credits, to get the job done.

“Ensuring value for taxpayer dollars is important to the people we represent, and our priorities reflect that by targeting inefficiencies and waste,” Hall said last month. “Roads and infrastructure are top priorities, and our budget choices should reflect that.”