Michigan Budget Director Jen Flood stood in for an absent Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Wednesday and delivered the governor’s presentation for her.

Flood gave an overview of Whitmer’s record $83.5 billion proposal before a joint meeting of the House and Senate appropriations committees.

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Whitmer was too busy to attend today’s budget presentation. State Rep. Matt Maddock, R-Milford, asked State Budget Director Jen Flood regarding Whitmer’s whereabouts:

State Rep. Matt Maddock asked Gretchen Whitmer’s staff why the governor wasn’t presenting her own budget, as is customary.

Spoiler: She’s too busy! pic.twitter.com/jyawkKhCH8

— The Midwesterner (@Th_Midwesterner) February 5, 2025

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“She today is in Grand Rapids celebrating the Reconnect program with graduates.”

Whitmer has led the presentation every other year, except one.

Republican lawmakers in Lansing say Whitmer’s proposed executive budget announced on Wednesday falls short on transparency reform to the earmark process that generates billions of dollars in spending for lawmaker-sponsored projects to for-profit and non-profit organizations. Despite their reservations, the Republicans note that Whitmer’s budget closely echoes their own transparency reform efforts.

In a statement to Bridge Michigan, the state Budget Office said Whitmer’s proposal would require all details of earmark proposals — including legislative sponsors — to be made public online for review five days before the budget, and prohibit for-profit entities from receiving taxpayer-funded grants in the state budget.

The governor’s plan is modeled after transparency rules the U.S. Congress adopted in 2021 after lifting a decade-long ban on federal earmarks.

“This proposal brings the state into alignment with the federal government with regard to legislative grants creating a more transparent process,” the state Budget Office wrote in a memo.

But Whitmer’s plan is less strict than the parameters the Republican-controlled House passed unanimously last week, sponsored by Rep. Ann Bollin, who chairs the House Appropriations Committee.

“Last week, the House adopted landmark changes to bring real transparency to earmarks in the state budget — something taxpayers have deserved for a long time,” Bollin said in a statement. “Now, the governor is proposing a similar plan. It’s a good sign that she’s listening to us and trying to do the right thing, but she’s got more work to do to ensure every dollar is spent wisely and with full accountability.”

Under the House earmark rules, it would require disclosure of details of earmarks to be submitted by May 1 or within 14 days of the Legislature passing the annual state budget – nine days more than Whitmer’s proposal.

House Speaker Matt Hall released a statement noting that Gov. Whitmer’s transparency measures closely resemble plans put forth by Republican legislators.

“It’s great to see Governor Whitmer embracing the ideas and leadership of House Republicans,” Hall said. “For seven years, Lansing has failed to take meaningful action on government transparency, but today, we’re seeing real progress — progress that is happening because House Republicans took the lead. This is an issue we prioritized, and now Governor Whitmer is following our lead to deliver real accountability for the people of Michigan,” he added.

The House’s top-ranked Republican continued: “With the right leader, me, focused on the right issues, you will see productive bipartisanship that delivers results on core priorities. My prediction is that [Grand Rapids’ Democrat and Senate Majority Leader Winnie] Leader Brinks will soon see the light and join us in ushering in a new era of leadership that changes the culture of Lansing.”

 Senate Democrats have not adopted a similar proposal yet but Brinks said she supported the “spirit” of the House rules and would encourage the chamber to do the same if Speaker Hall were to expand FOIA laws up for a vote in return.

Rep. Cam Cavitt, R-Cheboygan, noted Whitmer’s budget proposal includes $1 billion in new spending with no additional funding to fix local roads, over 700 new state employees, and budget transparency measures that fall short of recent rule changes approved in the House.

“It’s nice to see the governor follow House Republicans’ lead and recommend changes to how tax dollars are spent. Her rules, which would require disclosure of special projects five business days before a vote, do not go as far as our plan, which requires disclosure by May 1 for all projects, Cavitt said in a statement. “Regardless, it’s nice to see the governor finally propose some transparency measures after promising and failing to do so for the last six years.”

Cavitt is chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on the Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy; vice chair of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Military and Veteran Affairs; and is a member of the Labor and Economic Opportunity as well as the Corrections and Judiciary Appropriations subcommittees.

“If we truly want to uplift accountability and rebuild public trust in state government, that starts by rejecting spending increases and reallocating those dollars to the projects that matter most and the programs with a proven track record of success,” he said.

As an example, Cavitt noted the Orchard Beach Bridge in his district.

“Take the Orchard Beach Bridge near Cheboygan; I’ve been trying to get funding to rebuild the critical infrastructure for over two years now. School buses and emergency services rely on the crossing every day. I can’t imagine hiring another five people to man the phone tree over at [Michigan Department of Health and Human Services] has a greater impact on public health than ensuring first responders can provide life-saving services in my community.”

“More transparency will always be a good thing, but more government accountability starts with turning over every stone to ensure our tax dollars are being spent wisely and effectively.”

Michigan is one of two states that doesn’t subject its governor or Legislature to Freedom of Information Act requests for public records.

Last week The Midwesterner reached out to the Office of Sen. Sarah Anthony, who chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee, asking if she’d plan to propose earmark rules for the Senate – her office was unable to provide a statement on the matter.