Pure Michigan funding was axed this fiscal year under a line-item veto from Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, but the ads aren’t leaving the airwaves just yet.

The Michigan Economic Development Corporation has “invested sufficient funds to reserve media buys that will maintain Pure Michigan campaign efforts in the short-term,” department spokesperson Otie McKinley told MLive. “We do not anticipate an immediate negative impact.”

That money will keep Pure Michigan ads on air and online through the end of the calendar year, McKinley said. But future initiatives and funding for vendors and Pure Michigan partnerships will be suspended over the next few months if Whitmer and lawmakers don’t agree to a supplemental spending plan that reinstates funding to the program, he said.

The Pure Michigan ad campaign turned economic development brand - known for its 30-second commercials with Tim Allen voiceovers and visuals of the state’s most scenic spots - had $36 million in funding last fiscal year, which ended Sept. 30, 2019.

Whitmer’s administration initially recommended a $5 million cut to Pure Michigan for Fiscal Year 2020, which members of the tourism industry criticized as a sizable cut to a successful program. Lawmakers responded with a proposed $1.5 million increase for Pure Michigan, putting the budget at $37.5 million.

Whitmer’s response was to zero out the Pure Michigan funding for Fiscal Year 2020, one of 147 line-item vetoes in the budget bills she signed this week. She told reporters she loves the campaign, but felt state leaders “had to write a budget that protected the core functions that we provide: public safety, protecting public health, educating our kids, infrastructure. So I wrote a budget that did those things.”

In an open letter addressing the veto, Travel Michigan Vice President Dave Lorenz said he appreciated the legislative support for Pure Michigan, but was critical of the decision to cut the MEDC’s core business attraction and community revitalization programs by $26 million.

“I’m sure you’re as disappointed by the line item veto as I am – but I truly believe in order to have a thriving tourism industry, we must also have vibrant communities, growing businesses, strong infrastructure and skilled talent,” Lorenz wrote.

Whitmer and the MEDC “remain committed to the Pure Michigan campaign" and are hoping for a supplemental bill that includes funding for Pure Michigan, business attraction and community revitalization programs, McKinley said.

“The Governor’s veto is not the end of the conversation,” he said.

But a supplemental bill could be a long time coming, if ever.

Both Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey, R-Clark Lake, and House Speaker Lee Chatfield, R-Levering, told reporters this week that as far as they’re concerned, the budget is done.

Shirkey told reporters Wednesday that his focus is on moving forward to roads and other priorities, but said he’d entertain a supplemental if Whitmer thinks she made mistakes in the budget.

“I think there’s a lot of things in those line item vetoes that the citizens of the state of Michigan are desperately waiting for a correction on,” he said. “If the governor - if my governor thinks that she made a mistake with her red pen, she can let us know which ones she’d like to have back so we can reinstate those, or at least consider reinstating them."

Launched in 2006 as an ad campaign to boost tourism and travel, Pure Michigan has since evolved to become a core part of the state’s economic development brand, resulting in partnerships with corporations like Coca-Cola. Partnerships with Michigan companies and local artists have produced Pure Michigan ice cream, Vernors cans and an ambient music album.

The phrase “Pure Michigan” has also taken on a life of its own for Michigan residents - it’s a popular hashtag on social media, where people share their best Michigan nature photos and comment on life in the state.

One recent Pure Michigan partner was Short’s Brewing Company - the popular Bellaire brewery worked with the state to produce a Pure Michigan Autumn IPA, brewed with 100 percent Michigan-grown ingredients.

The beer is debuting Friday and is a specialty release, and won’t be impacted by any changes to the Pure Michigan program, said Emily Torrence, director of marketing for Short’s. Torrence said the brewery had a great time collaborating with the MEDC on the project, and hopes the state will continue to partner with businesses on promoting the Pure Michigan brand.

“It has been really exciting for people who identify with Pure Michigan to have Pure Michigan on the label,” she said.

Pure Michigan’s latest national advertising campaign last month was a $7.73 million ad buy to highlight fall foliage, scenic drives and autumn outdoor recreation on 14 national cable channels, broadcast programming and streaming services like Hulu through the end of October.

Supporters of the campaign in the tourism industry were blindsided by the cut. Justin Winslow, president and CEO of the Michigan Restaurant and Lodging Association, said the cut “feels like a veto of our state.”

But critics of the program applauded the governor’s move. Michael LaFaive, senior director of fiscal policy for the free-market Mackinac Policy Center, characterizes the program as “ineffective, unfair and expensive" and said he hopes the program’s funding remains at zero.