Michigan lawmakers advanced a proposal targeting major operational funding cuts—over 60%—for the state’s two largest universities, according to a legislative analysis cited in the report. The bill would reduce Michigan State University by $208.9 million and University of Michigan-Ann Arbor by $233.4 million. Both universities publicly opposed the proposal, arguing the cuts would damage capacity to serve students and families and could undermine tuition affordability. They also warned of broad impacts on tens of thousands of jobs tied to institutional operations. The plan keeps funding for smaller regional universities mostly flat, while increasing scholarship funding through the Michigan Achievement Scholarship program by about $232 million. Overall, however, state funding for higher education would still drop by $175 million. If enacted, the package would force universities to plan major reductions during an already resource-constrained period, shifting budget pressure from scholarships to core operations and potentially increasing reliance on other revenue streams.