Hall once again dodges commitment to finalize budget by deadline

Michigan House Speaker Matt Hall leads a press conference at the Mackinac Policy Conference on May 28, 2025. | Kyle Davidson
MACKINAC ISLAND – During a press conference at the Mackinac Policy Conference Wednesday, Michigan House Speaker Matt Hall once again refused to commit to finalizing the Fiscal Year 2026 State budget by its legal deadline.
For years lawmakers have worked to complete a budget prior to July 1, as required by state law, although failing to finish before the deadline carries no penalties.
Hall has previously argued the Legislature's responsibility under the state constitution is to pass a budget before the new Fiscal Year begins on Oct. 1, telling reporters the budget might not be finalized until Sept. 30, a move both Senate Democrats and Republicans have criticized as irresponsible.
After teasing several budget items in the House's plan for Fiscal Year 2025-2026 alongside fellow House Republicans, Hall once again refused to commit to finalizing the budget before the deadline.
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'Well, we'll see. You know, I think we got to work through it,' Hall said when asked if he would commit to moving a budget out of the House before July.
When pressed further, Hall criticized the Democratic-led Senate's $84.6 billion budget proposal, arguing the budget was not balanced, following reports from the May 16 Consensus Revenue Estimating Conference which found lawmakers will have $320 million less in revenue than initially predicted, largely due to the impact of tariffs instituted by the Trump administration.
While the House has yet to pass its own proposals, Hall told reporters its budget would be smaller than the budget passed last year, when Democrats controlled the chamber.
He also promised a $12,000 per-pupil allowance in the House's education budget and $1 billion deposit in the state's rainy day fund.
'This is going to make a big impact in our local school districts across Michigan, allow them to hire more teachers, shrink class sizes, update textbooks, invest in technology, improve school safety, and also, with that $1 billion rainy day fund, we'll be able to prepare. If there's any problems in the future that'll be a good down payment toward addressing that,' Hall said
In the state's higher education budget, Hall floated a $5,500 scholarship for every Michigan high school graduate attending a Michigan university or college which would be offered every year for up to four years. For community colleges, the state will offer students $2,750, Hall said.
'We look at some of the scholarships that are being offered by the government, and a lot of them are based on, not everyone gets them. Some of them are based on income, family income, things like that,' he said.
'We want our universities to be attracting and working to gain Michigan students. And so I think really taking some of these scholarships that exist, and turning them into something that every Michigan high school student will receive to help make college and universities more affordable, while also ensuring they go to a Michigan University is going to make a big difference there,' Hall said.

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