Democratic lawmaker secures school meals, lead service line removal and funding for the Selfridge Airforce base for Macomb County, Mt. Clemens and Sterling Heights
LANSING, Mich., Oct. 8, 2025 — The Michigan Legislature passed the final FY 2025-26 General and School Aid budgets. After refusing to back down in budget negotiations to defend critical Medicaid, food assistance and education funding, state Rep. Denise Mentzer (D-Mt. Clemens) voted for a bipartisan budget that reflects Michigan’s priorities. The state budget provides relief to Michiganders harmed by Republican cuts in the federal so-called One Big Beautiful Bill Act, protects access to affordable health care and SNAP benefits and funds universal school meals, transportation and mental health resources that kids depend on.
After the vote, Mentzer issued the following statement:
“While it was an unusual budget process, I’m proud of the hard work House Democrats did in negotiating this budget. We were able to secure better roads, safer communities and school meals for our kids. Not to mention, we also eliminated taxes on social security, providing relief to our seniors. Despite unnecessary delays, we put in the work and got this done for the people of Michigan.
“I’m also thrilled that I was able to secure $3 million to replace lead service lines in Mt. Clemens, to ensure everyone has safe, clean water to drink. We also invested $26 million for new aircraft missions for Selfridge Airforce Base, which will help support hundreds of military and civilian jobs in Macomb County. The base contributes $850 million annually to Michigan’s economy and supports roughly 30,000 jobs statewide. With these additional funds, we’ll save 600 jobs that pay around $30 million in wages and keep the base operational for years to come, supporting the entire local economy.”
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