$4.38B In Pork Projects Requested By Lawmakers

(Source: MIRS.news, Published 06/24/2026) Lawmakers have requested a combined $4.383 billion for 1,320 special projects as part of the budget process, a number that equates to 5% of the Governor's recommended $88.1 billion budget for Fiscal Year (FY) 2027. A spreadsheet of all the requests can be found here.

If every single project were funded, it would be double the Department of Corrections' entire proposed budget. The $4.383 billion figure is bigger than every state department in state government except for the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and the Department of Transportation.

While it's not known how much Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and legislative leaders will set aside for what is officially known as Legislatively Directed Spending Items (LDSIs or unofficially as pork), the House budgeted $150 million for the line item. If that's the agreed-upon number, roughly 3.4% of lawmakers' wish list will be funded.

The number comes as Rep. Nancy Jenkins-Arno (R-Clayton), chair of the House Labor and Economic Opportunity (LEO) budget, wrapped up Wednesday the last of 20 hearings this year on roughly 300 LDSI requests lawmakers brought to the panel for the funding.

Asked how she's going to decide which projects are getting funded, she said, "We're going to go through and weed out the ones that aren't the best ones to cover and pick out the ones that would be the best fit for what we want to accomplish in Michigan."

Jenkins-Arno said she leans toward funding infrastructure projects because she sees such projects as “strengthening the state overall.”

“Nobody likes to look at water and sewer lines, but they're extremely important to the state to fund some of those smaller budgets and get them over the line,” she said.

In all, House members requested 785 special projects worth $2.66 billion, ranging from a $9,000 request from Rep. Brenda Carter (D-Pontiac) for the Waterford Recreation Center to $600 million for the North Branch of Ecorse Creek drain maintenance project.

All but 12 House members submitted at least one request. Those who did not include House Speaker Matt Hall (R-Richland Township), House Minority Leader Ranjeev Puri (D-Canton), House Appropriations Committee Chair Ann Bollin (R-Brighton) along with Reps. Kelly Breen (D-Novi), James DeSana (R-Carleton), Steve Carra (R-Three Rivers), Joseph Fox (R-Fremont), Rep. Matt Maddock (R-Milford), Angela Rigas (R-Caledonia), Josh Schriver (R-Oxford), Karen Whitsett (D-Detroit) and Stephanie A. Young (D-Detroit).

Rep. Tyrone Carter (D-Detroit) asked for the highest dollar amount of goodies at $621 million, of which $600 million was for a drainage project. Next to him was Rep. Kathy Schmaltz (R-Jackson), who asked for $140 million from the budget. Rep. John Roth (R-Interlochen) had $139 million in asks in the FY 2027 budget.

Schmaltz asked for 36 different items, the most of any House member. Roth had 24 requests, followed by Rep. Joe Tate (D-Detroit) with 22 asks totaling $83.36 million and Reps. Gregory Alexander (R-Carsonville), Brenda Carter (D-Pontiac) and Steve Frisbie (R-Battle Creek) with 20.

In the Senate, Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt (R-Lawton), Sen. Kevin Daley (R-Lum), new Sen. Chedrick Greene (D-Saginaw), and Sen. Lana Theis (R-Brighton) did not turn in any requests.

Sen. Mary Cavanagh (D-Redford Twp.) turned in the most with 41, followed by Sen. John Damoose (R-Harbor Springs) (38) and Sen. Sylvia Santana (D-Detroit) (37), Sen. Jeff Irwin (D-Ann Arbor) (37) and Sen. Darrin Camilleri (D-Trenton) with 32.

Camilleri asked for the most with $196 million. Lindsey asked for $175 million, followed by Damoose with $120 million and Santana with $117 million.