State Senate expected to make sweeping budget cuts

By Laura Weber, Michigan Public Radio Network

LANSING, MI – State Senators are planning to vote on budget cuts this week in Lansing.

The Senate Appropriations committee approved sweeping budget cuts for education, corrections and Medicaid last week. Committee member Roger Kahn said when the state faces a $1.7 billion deficit, lawmakers are forced to make cuts where there's a lot of money. And that often results in cuts to programs they'd rather not cut at all.

Now the full Senate must vote on the cuts approved by the committee; which include scaling back financial aid for college students and eliminating the Michigan Promise Grants program.

Michigan's leading lawmakers set a self-imposed goal of July to reach consensus on budget discussions. But meeting that deadline appears less and less likely.