LANSING, MI – Governor Whitmer rolled out a slate of high-priced policy proposals that fail to chart a long-term path to prosperity for Michigan families, many of whom are still struggling to overcome the income loss from the post-COVID economy.
According to a recent report, Michiganders’ income is the lowest in history and among the worst in the nation.
Whitmer’s slate of government programs and handouts is not a plan for success. It’s failed business policy blended with quick-fix solutions for chronic problems that hold Michigan families back.
“Right now, it’s impossible to get ahead in Michigan. No matter how hard you work, the state is demanding more of your income at a time when Michiganders are earning less and less,” said Mary Drabik, Communications Director for the Michigan Freedom Fund. “A patchwork of government handouts won’t give Michigan families the lasting stability they need to thrive. They need policies that give Michiganders a hand up — the opportunity to choose the education that best fits their child and doesn’t break the bank, to keep more of the money they earn, and an end to stripping away important rights and freedoms from families and local communities and giving them to unelected bureaucrats.”
Michigan Freedom Fund tonight provided important perspectives and context on the true value of Whitmer’s State of the State proposals:
- On cash for cars: $1,000 for a gas car and $2,500 for an EV doesn’t even cover the cost of the interest on the loan.
- On universal preschool: It’s an exercise in misdirection. Whitmer’s Department of Education is failing despite massive budget increases. And now she’s expanding the department rather than cleaning house.
- On business investment: When her plans aren’t a return to past failed business policies, like Renaissance Zones, they are vague at best and impossible to measure. Her plans fail to address the roadblock Democrats’ 100% renewable energy plan places in front of any serious industrial investment in Michigan.
- On housing: Her proposal wouldn’t come close to covering the cost of building 10,000 badly needed affordable single-family homes. This is nothing more than showmanship and political sleight of hand.
Whitmer is also offering more of the same when it comes to corporate welfare. Companies have received millions, and sometimes billions, in tax breaks through Whitmer’s administration, with taxpayers footing the bill. In 2023, Democrats approved approximately $4.1 billion in corporate welfare. Despite this spending spree, businesses are turning to business-friendly states that have population growth – Michigan is not one of these states.
Additionally, students in Michigan rank 43rd in the nation for reading as Whitmer refused to offer reading scholarships to students to help get them back on track. Now, student achievement gaps are wider than before 2020, and some 60,000 third-grade students cannot read at grade level.
Instead of offering tax cuts, removing red tape for businesses, and a solid plan to get students back on track, the governor insists on spending billions in tax dollars as opposed to addressing the real problem: living in Michigan is more expensive and less convenient under Democrat control.
