Michigan’s record $82 billion budget for 2024 will add 899 government employees and will increase spending by about $8 billion – Republicans equate these measures to an unsustainable spending spree. Michigan’s 2022 budget was stuffed with $146M in pork barrel spending. This year, that number climbed closer to $1 billion, with taxpayers shelling out millions of dollars for splash pads, union grants, and solar panels.