LANSING, Mich. (WZMQ) – Governor Whitmers 7th state of the state kept to many of the same issues she’s been focused on in the past but with an extra emphasis on bipartisan work. Tonight was the first time in three years she’s given the address to a split legislature.
She talked about lowering costs, creating jobs, and cutting back regulations on licenses and permits. Taking time to lay out plans to build more housing, address medical debts, lower energy costs, and focus on populations that are falling behind in education.
“I took an oath to serve the people of michigan, all the people. That’s my commitment to you no matter who is in the WhiteHouse or on the other side of the table in Lansing.” Whitmer said. “Yes, I do hope to find common ground with President Trump and work with the Democratic Senate and Republican House on our shared priorities. I’m not looking for fights, but I won’t back down from them either.”
State lawmakers have weighed in on the governor’s remarks. House democrat leader, Representative Ranjeev Puri said he believes the governor did a great job lighting the areas where they can find common ground.
“The political reality right now is we’re in split government. There’s obviously non-negotiables and values that we have as Democrats, but the reality is that we do want to find some way to make use of these two years.” Puri said. “Accessible childcare, more affordable housing, paying off debt, finding ways to improve our economy, to bring more jobs to Michigan. Those are all things I think we should be able to pry away from partisan politics to actually find solutions to improve the lives of Michiganders.”
With a long list of goals for the next year, every bill will have to run through the Republican-led House of Representatives. Majority Floor Leader Representative Brian Posthumus said if Whitmer means what she says, he’s ready to work together for Michigan.
“I love the conversation about bipartisanship. My challenge though, is we have 20 years of history with Governor Whitmer that proves bipartisanship is not in her vocabulary. My hope is that the 180 change is legitimate, and if so, I’m happy to work with them.” Posthumus said. “It comes down to is she legitimately doing a full U-turn and coming our way on the issues. If so, I’m really excited to work on deregulation and licensure reciprocity. That was a package that I introduced my first term in the legislature, the governor didn’t really give it the time of day then, hopefully she will this time.”
The legislature is already working to meet some of the governor’s goals. House members on both sides said road funding is at the top of their list.
“I think roads and education were the two big points that she brought up. I loved the idea of going back to phonics based on the science of reading. I think that’s something that’s important and I think can get bipartisan support for moving forward.” Fairbairn said. “We’re going to be getting the dollars to the counties and the municipalities because they know the roads that are bad and their areas and they’re going to be able to fix them. I think that is really important. I love the talk of bipartisanship and where there can be bipartisan work will find it.”
We’ve only got one more state of the state under Whitmer’s administration. Candidates have already begun announcing their campaigns for the 2026 gubernatorial election, giving Whitmer just two more years to meet the goals she has laid out in tonight’s State of the State.
