LANSING - With each day that passes more details emerge about the federal stimulus package currently working its way through Congress and speculation mounts about the large sum of money Michigan appears poised to receive. Billions of dollars are expected to flow from Washington, D.C. to Michigan as part of the federal government’s effort to jumpstart the nation’s economy.

Estimates of the amount directed to Michigan vary widely with figures as high as $18.6 billion recently reported by The Detroit News. The large injection of funds in the state budget may result in the temptation to ignore the systematic causes of Michigan’s budgetary difficulties. Senator Anderson cautions that a failure to plan for what lies beyond the expiration of stimulus funds would be short-sighted and would only further harm the state’s ability to transition toward a more efficient and effective model of government.

“We must not ignore the reality of the situation our state government finds itself in. Recently, headlines have been dominated by the news that a financial institution, having received a tremendous amount of taxpayer funds as part of the Wall Street bailout, intended to spend $50 million on a new corporate jet. There is no justification for careless spending of this nature only months after seeking assistance from the federal government,” said Senator Anderson. “This provides a cautionary tale to officials in Michigan. Allowing stimulus funds to blind ourselves to the economic realities we are faced with would be an egregious error and could lead to the misuse of taxpayers’ money. We have serious problems in Michigan which require serious attention.”

The proposed stimulus package comes at a difficult time for Michigan’s economy. If used properly, it could provide the state with a powerful tool to approach the tremendous challenges we are faced with.

“The top priority for every dollar we spend must be whether or not it will create jobs, improve infrastructure and the essential services that citizens and businesses rely on,” Senator Anderson said. “We have a special opportunity to use these funds to get Michigan’s economy back on track and our men and women back to work, but we must not use stimulus funds for new programs that cannot be sustained once those funds are expended.”

Senator Anderson is a member of the Appropriations Committee in the Senate and serves on subcommittees for Higher Education, General Government, Economic Development, and the Dept. of Transportation. Budget negotiations will officially begin following the Governor’s State of the State Address in February.

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