LANSING, Mich. – Billions of dollars from the federal government have helped keep Michigan afloat amid financial hardships caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. With the federal government’s help, two of the major traditional budget concerns in Michigan -- K-12 schools and local revenue sharing -- will not take any cuts. House Appropriations Chairman Shane Hernandez tells Local 4 News that the federal government bought Michigan some time. “They bought us time to understand COVID, understand how we deal with it and open our businesses and schools," Hernandez said. Hernandez believes that Michigan businesses cannot afford to operate under such heavy restrictions much longer.

Macomb County is awarding relief grants to 148 small businesses in the county to help mitigate any financial impact caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Related: Coronavirus in Michigan: Here’s where we stand todayMacomb County Planning & Economic Development earlier announced plans to assist 90 to 150 small businesses in the county. Macomb County was awarded $800,000 to distribute among small businesses from the Michigan Small Business Relief Program, officials said. Macomb County donated $30,000 to the cause for a total of $930,000 to aid small businesses. We organized an application process, fairly quickly, to disburse these relief funds to our businesses,” said Vicky Rad, director of Macomb County Planning and Economic Development.