LANSING, Mich. (May 15, 2025) — In response to Attorney General Dana Nessel filing embezzlement charges over a $25 million grant given to a former legislative aide, Sen. Sarah Anthony (D-Lansing), Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, released the following statement:
“I applaud Attorney General Nessel for addressing this gross misuse of taxpayer dollars by former Republican House leadership. This is another example of the rampant corruption that plagued recent Republican majorities in the Michigan Legislature. Senate Democrats have done things differently since 2023. We built budgets to help working people and brought transparency to the process — including the way we fund community projects. Because of the changes we made, every legislative enhancement grant requires a legislative sponsor to take ownership of the project or program. State departments then must publish that information online, allowing residents to see how legislators are advocating for the use of their tax dollars. If the Republican majority had these measures in place back in 2022, corrupt backroom deals like this one could have been brought to light earlier.
“I’m proud of the steps our caucus has taken to create a more ethical, responsible budget process. Our budgets invest directly in our communities, fix aging infrastructure, and ensure people have what they need to thrive. These transparency measures are crucial and effective, and this investigation serves as another important reminder of the need to shine more light into the halls of power.
“We must manage these funds responsibly and take decisive action in the event of any misuse. I’m grateful the Speaker learned this lesson during his time in the past Republican majority caucus because it takes buy-in from the House, Senate, and Governor to build transparency and accountability measures that work. In fact, I encourage the Speaker to follow the lead of the Senate Democrats and pass the common-sense FOIA reforms we passed back in January.”
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