Past and present Senate candidates from Michigan: on Budget & Economy

John James: Focus on cutting waste and getting to a balanced budget

Marcia Squier: Stimulus counters ever-growing income inequality

A: Support. Stimulus is needed due to the ever-growing income inequality. The middle class is disappearing and the lower class is growing astronomically, while the wealthiest become even wealthier, using tax loopholes and other means to continue this rift. Since the wealthiest people don't seem to be in a hurry to help their fellow man, stimulus is needed to ensure a higher quality of life for the rest of us.

Mike Bishop: Stop out-of-control spending policies

Bishop: Strongly Agree. It's time to stop the out-of-control spending policies in Washington, D.C. and halt government expansion. I believe we first need to curb spending and begin paying down our debt, in order to lead America on a path toward prosperity.

Terri Lynn Land: Opposed reopening government, due to ObamaCare, not jobs

The State Democratic Party Chairman said Land's stance on jobless benefits "doesn't pass the smell test" because she opposed the deal reopening the government, while Land said Democrats were the reason the benefits were not part of a December budget deal.

Michigan's two Democratic senators, Debbie Stabenow and Carl Levin voted to move forward on the 3-month extension legislation. While Republicans plan to seek changes so the bill's $6.4 billion cost would not add to deficits, a Land spokeswoman said Land would have supported an extension regardless of whether the cost is paid.

Terri Lynn Land: Opposed deal to re-open federal government

But she has also become the GOP's presumed nominee, and McConnell is hosting a fundraiser [for Land] along with 16 GOP candidates.

Land still believes voting to reopen the government was a mistake. But her campaign declined to say McConnell made a mistake by supporting the deal. "She's not going to get involved in any disagreement there," a spokesperson said. "She's working very hard to unite factions of the party so she can win a contested election in a purple state."

Terri Lynn Land: Federal shutdown was opportunity to address spending

Land said she opposed the shutdown, but the budget process in Washington is "broken."

Peter Hoekstra: TARP & debt ceiling increase were needed to fund two wars

Hoekstra said he was the guy that along with others that shutdown government and led the effort to stop No Child Left Behind, when only 20 Republicans voted no. He said his opponents were distorting his record. On cutting government, Candidate Glenn said he would like to see the IRS, Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Education eliminated for cost savings. Pete Konetchy also said he would require government to follow the constitution. "We cannot spend any money out of the federal treasury without a specific power. So anything being spent right now on things such as health, community services or education, energy, whatever at the federal level--it's unconstitutional," Konetchy said.

Peter Hoekstra: Cut agencies which are not in the constitution

Scotty Boman: The government is the problem: cut out welfare and warfare

"The government is absolutely the problem. It's not that we don't have enough tax money, it's that we have too much spending. Cut out welfare and warfare and we could really save some money," he said.

Debbie Stabenow: We waste billions on subsidies for Halliburton

BOUCHARD: She’s ranked the #1 biggest spending Senator. It’s a real problem. If a Republican’s going to waste your money, I’m gonna kick it hard. We need line-item veto, her amendments and votes belie the fact that she’s a big spender.

STABENOW: When I came in 2001, we had a surplus, now we have a deficit. The reality is hundreds of billions of dollars in tax subsidies for fuel companies - Halliburton - no bid contracts - this has to stop.

Mike Bouchard: We need a line item veto

BOUCHARD: She’s ranked the #1 biggest spending Senator. It’s a real problem. If a Republican’s going to waste your money, I’m gonna kick it hard. We need line-item veto, her amendments and votes belie the fact that she’s a big spender.

STABENOW: When I came in 2001, we had a surplus, now we have a deficit. The reality is hundreds of billions of dollars in tax subsidies for fuel companies - Halliburton - no bid contracts - this has to stop.