October 7, 2021
Gretchen Whitmer Gives Taxpayer Handout to Campaign Donors
Lansing, Mich., October 7, 2021 – In a move that defies the democratic process and openly disregards the constitution, Gretchen Whitmer unilaterally reinstated prevailing wage. By again weaponizing her unelected bureaucrats, Whitmer is continuing her war against the coequal branches of government and the people of Michigan. Michigan’s prevailing wage law was repealed in 2018 after a citizen-led initiative, Michigan Repeal Prevailing Wages and Fringe Benefits, gathered the signatures required for the legislature for consideration. The effort came due to the overwhelming burden on taxpayers by added costs for public construction projects. Whitmer is putting campaign donors before the hardworking Michigan taxpayers who fought to eliminate prevailing wage, Whitmer’s reinstatement is nothing more than a political quid pro quo for the special interest groups that have given her massive campaign contributions.
In a statement reported by the Detroit Free Press, a Whitmer spokesman defended the move by claiming such agreements would “benefit the state”. The assertion that prevailing wage will help Michigan secure the “best value” for state projects is an outright lie. Ahead of its repeal in 2018, studies show that repealing prevailing wage would save Michigan families hundreds of millions in tax dollars by lowering the cost of state projects. Given the ridiculous explanation offered by the governor, combined with warming relations between Unions and Republicans, it suggests the governor is trying to drive a political wedge between the two groups.
“Governor Whitmer is putting campaign donors before Michigan’s hardworking taxpayers,” said Eric Ventimiglia, Executive Director for Michigan Rising Action. Ventimiglia continued, “Hundreds of thousands of Michiganders worked to place this initiative in front of the legislature, and her unilateral decision to break the law is another example of Whitmer pandering to her highest donors.”