6 things to know about Michigan’s dramatic budget showdown that kept the government open

Michigan’s state government narrowly avoided a shutdown after lawmakers missed the Oct. 1 budget deadline.

Following late-night sessions, the legislature passed a temporary spending bill to keep operations funded for another week while they finalize a full-year budget agreement. The approval by lawmakers came past midnight into the early morning hours Wednesday.

Prior to the stopgap bill, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer had pledged to keep state services running and state workers employed, even without immediate legislative appropriation, a move that raised constitutional questions.

Initially, leaders considered a unique strategy to continue operations without immediate spending authority, believing obligations could be incurred without direct expenditure during a brief funding lapse, before ulti