On February 26, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer delivered a State of the State Address to the Michigan House of Representatives and Senate at the state capitol in Lansing. The purpose of this address is to directly speak to state Congress and citizens by giving updates on where the state is at right now, and what is to come in the future. Whitmer is entering her seventh year as the governor of Michigan and her term will end in January 2027.
Whitmer addressed many various topics that impact the state of Michigan. Perhaps one of the most important issues to Michiganders currently is the economy. This comes as Michigan directly borders Canada, which is currently in disagreement with the United States and President Trump over tariffs and trade. Governor Whitmer pledged to do whatever it took to get the cost of living lower, especially working across the aisle to get this done. From the speech: “Right now, families and businesses are facing high costs and uncertainty from tariffs, and our national politics are divided. Michiganders are tired of the games and want strong, bipartisan leadership. Let’s lead by example and show the rest of the country how to get things done.”
Another topic discussed by Whitmer that goes hand in hand with the economy is housing. She mentioned that the state is looking to build, fix, or buy over 10,000 homes with the hope of giving Michiganders more opportunities to find an affordable place to live and start a family comfortably. Governor Whitmer also assured the state that the government is working very hard to ensure that taxes are being lowered to lower the monetary toll on citizens.
Also in the address, Whitmer mentioned details about more investments in the Selfridge Air National Guard Base which is located in Harrison Township. Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel said, “It’s imperative Michigan continues to lead the future of national security and defense through Selfridge. Investing $100 million in Selfridge is necessary to help secure its next fighter mission. Working together we will continue to protect and grow Michigan’s military advantage.”
Possibly one of the most polarizing topics mentioned by Whitmer was when she began speaking about education. She introduced her interest in implementing policies to limit cell phone use in classrooms across the state. Whitmer believes that the younger generation would benefit much more without their cell phones in school. She mentioned, “We’ve seen encouraging data about how commonsense restrictions on phone use during class lead to more learning and less bullying. Kids listen, raise their hands, and make more friends. They talk during field trips. Three-quarters say they feel happy or peaceful without their phone. That’s what school should be about.”
The governor also said she is committed to protecting children in school and wants to get the number of students who are currently vaping in schools down to a minimum.
Ultimately, Governor Whitmer remains committed to the people of Michigan and continues to work and put this state in the right direction.
