Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Monday told reporters she changed course and agreed to pass a budget without a long-term road funding plan when it became clear some lawmakers were rooting for a shutdown.

The legislature must pass a budget by Oct. 1 to fund state agencies on time and avoid a state government shutdown.

Whitmer, House Speaker Lee Chatfield, R-Levering, and Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey, R-Clark Lake, made a joint announcement the budget would proceed without a long-term road funding component Monday morning, all but assuring the state will avoid a shutdown.

“It is abundantly clear to me that there are some people that want a shutdown. It is abundantly clear to me that there are some that don’t want to put real solutions for roads on the table and be serious about it,” Whitmer said.

“And it’s not fun to be the adult in the room sometimes but the fact of the matter is we’ve got important work to do in keeping the state of Michigan open and running and so I’m going to focus on getting that done and there seems to be a commitment from the others that we’re going to continue the road conversation past Sept. 30.”

Asked who wanted a shutdown she did not name names, but said, “I think that that there are legislators who would just as soon see that happen for political reasons.”

She said she wanted to avoid a shutdown because she’s not willing to play games with people’s lives.

“There are critical services that people rely on. I don’t view a shutdown as a game, I don’t view it as something that is just a leverage point. I view it as something that’s very serious, that would have ramifications for the people in the state,” Whitmer said.

Whitmer said she was getting to work immediately on the next step in the budget process but did not yet have a timeline for when a long-term road funding fix would be on the table, except to say she expected to get into it as soon as the budget was done.

Whitmer made the comments after a speech at the Grand Rapids Economic Club Luncheon on Monday, where audience members asked about higher education funding.

All other budget priorities, Whitmer said, were demeaned as long as road funding is coming out of the general fund, the largest discretionary pot of money the legislature has. Under the 2015 road funding plan lawmakers passed, when it’s fully implemented $600 million of the state’s nearly $11 billion general fund will go toward roads.