LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – Michigan’s legislature made the news when it missed the July 1 mandate to pass the state budget.

The budget debate continues as Michigan experiences unprecedented levels of spending during post-pandemic times.

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The state of Michigan appropriated $58.3 billion in local, state and federal money in 2018-19, the last year before the COVID-19 pandemic hit. From 2021-22 to 2024-25, overall state spending jumped to an average of $82.7 billion a year during those four fiscal years, according to the Senate Fiscal Agency.

Overall state spending peaked in 2022-23 at $85.6 billion. That spending dropped to $83.6 billion in 2023-24 and $81.2 billion in 2024-25.

The amount of federal money the state spent peaked at $41.3 billion in 2022-23, far more than the $23.5 billion it received in 2018-19.