CLICK BELOW TO HEAR PART ONE OF WHITMER’S STATE OF THE STATE SPEECH.
CLICK BELOW TO HEAR PART TWO OF WHITMER’S STATE OF THE STATE SPEECH.
Governor Gretchen Whitmer delivered her State of the State message last night in Lansing, highlighting themes that she hopes many Republicans who control the state house will embrace.
“The State of our state is strong,” said Whitmer, battling a cold that left her voice hoarse at times and causing her to clear her throat throughout the 40-minute speech. “It’s on all of us to make it stronger, and kinder, too.”
Whitmer stressed bipartisanship throughout much of the speech, saying that common ground can be reached on issues that all residents, regardless of party, can agree to.
“One. Costs,” Whitmer said. “Let’s make life more affordable for Michiganders. Two. Jobs. Let’s create more opportunities to help people in our state earn more money. Three. Results. Let’s make government work better for the people we all serve. I think we should all be able to agree on that, yes?”
Whitmer said she would try to work with President Trump, saying that she’s “not looking to pick a fight, but I won’t back down on one”. The governor said that Trump’s 25% tariffs on Canadian and Mexican goods, set to take effect on April 2nd, would be a disaster for Michigan, in particular, for the auto industry.
“I am not opposed to all tariffs,” she said, “but they are a blunt tool that can cause a lot of damage when they’re imposed on all products on our neighbors.”
The governor also addressed the on-going problems with Michigan’s crumbling roads, noting that her bonding program two years ago to fix major roads downstate was a “short term” deal. Whitmer says that going forward, there needs to be more of an emphasis on fixing local roads, and there needs to be a long-term plan to do so.
“I know there are a couple of different plans out there, including mine,” Whitmer said. “And I know that none of them are perfect. But what’s not OK, is no plan. Michigganders will not accept inaction. To my friends in the GOP, 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. To my Democrats, cuts will need to be part of the solution.”
Whitmer also challenged the legislature to work with her on ways to expand housing opportunities across Michigan.
“Right now, we are short 140,000 homes statewide,” Whitmer said. “The way forward is clear. We’ve got to build, baby build! Deep blue Minnesota and deep red Texas both built more housing and drove their costs down. We can do the same here in Michigan. Let’s invest $2 billion to build, buy, or fix nearly 11,000 homes.”
Whitmer called for expanded opportunities in career and technical education for high school students, and pledged to help community colleges in their efforts to provide job training needed to expand Michigan’s workforce.
The governor added that phones are negatively impacting mental health, physical safety, and academic performance. She called for bipartisan collaboration to limit the use of hones in classrooms.
“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.”
Whitmer also taked about the problem of vaping among Michigan’s kids.
Almost 14% of high schoolers use vapes. The Governor proposed closing a longstanding loophole and taxing vapes similar to how we tax cigarettes.
“32 states—red and blue—already do the same, including all ofour neighbors. I’m grateful to Senator Sam Singh who started work on this last year. In 2025, let’s get it done to protect our kids.”
The governor also praised retired U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-Onondega) for her years of service, and said that a downtown Lansing building is being named in her honor.
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