$159 million proposal includes $250,000 for ‘tariff monitoring’ and sets table for ‘tariff relief grants’

State Rep. Ken Borton, R-Gaylord, on Tuesday promised major changes to the Senate’s $159 million 2026 budget for the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. The Senate proposal includes a placeholder for tariff relief grants, $250,000 for a tariff monitoring program, 25 new full-time employees, and expands the department by more than $2.5 million.

“It’s like the Senate heard the governor say we need to make cuts and did the exact opposite,” said Borton, who chairs the House committee responsible for the MDARD budget. “Not only did they grow state government in both scope and size, but they’re also playing politics and trying to weaponize our tax dollars against the Trump Administration. Tariffs are designed to bring jobs and purchase power back to the U.S. and are, at their core, a federal issue. Whether they’re effective or not, it’s up to the feds to work it out. We shouldn’t be using Michigan tax dollars to meddle in federal policymaking. The Senate should be less focused on what the president’s doing and more focused on how to help farmers here in Michigan, especially considering state departments are famous for long wait times, inconsistent enforcement, and unclear regulations.”

The Senate MDARD budget grows the department from just under $157 million in 2025 to over $159 million in 2026. The overall Senate budget proposal is $84.6 billion, more than $2 billion over the 2025 budget.

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