LANSING (WWJ) — As Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer delivered her seventh State of the State address Wednesday night in Lansing, she spent time focusing on the same thing she harped on in her first address back in 2019 — “those damn roads.”
With Whitmer’s $3.5 billion Rebuilding Michigan bond plan, introduced in 2020, set to be phased out soon, the governor said the state is facing a “funding cliff” and lawmakers in Lansing need to do something about it.
“We’ve made progress on our state roads, but let’s be real, my plan was always a short-term fix,” Whitmer said, noting “there’s a lot left to do.”
In Whitmer’s proposed budget laid out earlier this year, she proposed a number of ways — including an increased tax on vapes and nicotine products — to generate new revenue that will help with state and local road construction. Republican Speaker of the House Matt Hall, meanwhile, has proposed ideas to shift existing revenue toward roads.
On Wednesday night, Whitmer said both of those things will have to happen.
“Now, I know there are a couple different plans out there, including mine, and I know none of them are perfect,” she said. “But what’s not okay… is no plan. Michiganders won’t accept inaction. To get it right, we’ll all have to recognize some hard truths.”
Speaking to members of the GOP, Whitmer said “a long-term fix means new, fair sources of revenue. We can’t cut our way to better roads by slashing public safety, health, or schools.”
As for Democrats, she acknowledged that “cuts will need to be part of the solution.”
“To the business community, we can’t put this on the backs of the middle class,” Whitmer said.
“For all of us to be part of the solution we must all compromise, and that’s the way it ought to be,” the governor said. “Let’s get back to the negotiating table in the coming days and weeks to find a long-term, bipartisan solution so we can fix more of those damn roads.”
Whitmer’s speech focused on three main goals: costs, jobs and results. The governor said she wants to “make life more affordable” for Michiganders, “create more opportunities to help people earn more money” and make “make government work better for the people we all serve.”
In the Republican response to Whitmer’s State of the State, west Michigan Rep. Bryan Posthumas said the state has been in decline since the mid-80's, but he says there's no need to raise taxes or bring in more money.
“We need to focus on essentials first — infrastructure, public safety, education. With all that extra money in the budget, there’s even enough room to fix the roads and roll back the income tax. Inflation is hurting everyone right now, so we should let people keep more of their own money.”
The full text of Whitmer's speech as prepared can be seen on the state's website.