Michigan Republicans vote to defund schools in latest contribution to U.S. educational blaze

Republicans trying to drag us back to the Stone Age isn’t surprising. But even by their low, low standards, the latest move to defund schools is jaw-droppingly brain-numbing.

The Michigan GOP recently muscled through a “contingency” plan — a fancy term for “budgetary hostage-taking”— that would slash education funding by a staggering $5 billion for the 2025-2026 fiscal year. To give you a sense of scale, that’s roughly 25 percent of the entire school aid budget. As an added bonus, this budget omits funding for minor details like school lunches, transportation, and resources for rural districts. Okay. Maybe next they’ll tell kids to bring their own desks and chalkboards, too.

Before you get all upset, Republicans insist they’re doing this out of pure patriotism and care for their constituents. House Speaker Matt Hall claims they’re simply being proactive and responsible, making sure the state doesn’t shut down due to Democratic “radical left” shenanigans.

“Let’s just stop the games…Democrats stop using schools and prisons and veterans homes and local governments and police as pawns in your political game to threaten the government shutdown in order to bond your very unpopular radical left programs.”

Of course — because ensuring kids actually have a decent education and a hot lunch is exactly the kind of radical socialism that keeps Republicans awake at night. Don’t you dare mention that Democrats explicitly called out these cuts as dangerous. According to them, Democrats are just playing political games — unlike Republicans, who clearly have never, ever used children or veterans or seniors as bargaining chips in negotiations. Nope, never happened.

This isn’t even about Michigan alone. If you’ve been paying attention, you’ll recognize this stunt as just another chapter in the so-called Project 2025 agenda. It is basically the GOP’s national wish-list for dismantling federal protections and shifting everything they can back to individual states — education, healthcare, civil rights, environmental protections — you name it.  You know, state governments have such a stellar track record of doing the right thing. Just ask Mississippi or Alabama how well they’re handling education and poverty.

It’s all part of their big-picture strategy: first defund and dismantle public systems at the state level, then point to their failures as proof that private alternatives are necessary. Republicans unveiled this plan on March 6, then rushed it to a vote the same day, giving Democrats barely any time to react. An underfunded education system means fewer opportunities for students, which means a less skilled workforce, which means slower economic growth. It’s a vicious cycle, and Republicans are kicking it into high gear.

What’s most infuriating about this whole situation is the sheer hypocrisy of it all. Republicans love to talk about how much they care about kids and families. They’ll show up to photo ops at schools, talk about “family values,” and rail against anything they think threatens children (see: their obsession with banning books and policing bathrooms). But when it comes to actually investing in kids’ futures? Suddenly, the money’s not there.