#factsmatter, The Citizens Research Council Of Michigan Podcast

A Research Council Podcast Roundtable: Michigan’s 2025 Budget Breakdown In a first-ever roundtable edition of the #FactsMatter podcast, Guy Gordon recaps recent budget conversations and even more recent updates from the finally passed and long-overdue Michigan budget with the Research Council’s Eric Lupher, president; Craig Thiel, research director; Bob Schneider, senior state affairs associate; and research associates Karley Abramson, health policy; and Eric Paul Dennis, infrastructure. First up — roads. Guy chats with Eric Paul Dennis on how nearly $2 billion in new funding should bump Michigan to about 15th in the nation for road spending, but the complicated Act 51 formula still means many local roads won’t see major improvements. Transparency at the pump is better — but how those dollars are spent? Still murky. Karley Abramson explained how healthcare saw one of the biggest surprises: the Rx Kids program jumped from a $16 million pilot to $270 million statewide, offering direct cash assistance to new