Governor Gretchen Whitmer is Failing Michiganders

Lansing, Mich., August 1, 2022 – Time after time, Governor Gretchen Whitmer has failed Michigan. Residents struggle every day to cope with the impact of Whitmer’s policies and actions over the past four years that contributed to Michigan’s decline, including:  

• Her actions crumbled Michigan’s economy.
• Her policies defunded police.
• Her disinvestments in education. 

“Michigan workers, families and students are failing under Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s leadership. She has proven incapable of helping Michigan residents during turbulent times” said Eric Ventimiglia, Executive Director for Michigan Rising Action. Ventimiglia continued, “Inflation is squeezing our budgets, our neighborhoods are less safe and students are falling behind thanks to extended school closures and disinvestments in education.”  

Crumbling Economy

Whitmer had several opportunities to provide relief for soaring inflation this year, but instead she: 

• Vetoed a tax relief plan providing lower personal income tax, a tax exemption for seniors, and reinstated a child tax credit. 
• Vetoed the temporary gas tax suspension that would’ve provided relief at the pump. 
• Vetoed another tax cut plan, including a lower personal income tax and the child tax credit reinstatement. 
• Claimed that Michigan was experiencing, “the best economic recovery in our state’s history” but that Michiganders “might not be feeling it yet”.

Whitmer also destroyed jobs in the automotive industry: 

• Whitmer claimed that 25,000 automotive jobs were added in Michigan since she took office. The claim was debunked, as Bureau of Labor Statistics data shows that Michigan declined over 3,000 automotive jobs. 
• Whitmer watched both Ford and Stellantis pick different states for new electric vehicle factories.

Defunding the Police

Gretchen Whitmer found ways to defund the police and limit public safety when she:

• Line-item vetoed funding for police in the state’s budget, shocking the budgets for County Sheriffs. 
• She stated that she supported “the spirit” of defunding the police following violent protestors attacking a police headquarters in Grand Rapids. 
• Refused to suspend the gas tax, forcing a Sheriff’s Department to limit their response capabilities with high gas prices burning through their budget. 

Whitmer’s efforts to defund police were echoed in the City of Detroit:

• The Democrat-run city led by Whitmer’s ally, Mayor Mike Duggan, defunded its own police department meaning fewer officers to protect the city from criminals. 
• A Wallet-Hub report also ranked the City of Detroit as the worst place to raise a family, with high concerns for public safety. 

Disinvestments in Education

Gretchen Whitmer committed to disinvestments in Michigan’s students when she:

• Line-item vetoed $35 million for charter schools, directly impacting students from low-income families.
• Line-item vetoed funding for autism support services after promising that she would be an “ally and a great partner” for those in the autism community. 
• Closed schools, forcing students into virtual classrooms, secluded from social interactions.
  • As a result of closures, student test scores dropped, and students that learned virtually learned less than their in-person peers. 
  • Students also reported higher anxiety and depression levels after being pulled away from daily interactions with peers and teachers.
• Failed to help students recover from learning losses that could take years to remedy. 
• Vetoed bills that would help parents with flexible options for school choice. 
• Vetoed another bill that would’ve provided reading scholarships to students that need help recovering from learning losses caused by school closures.