Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signs bipartisan bills extending unemployment benefits to 26 weeks on Oct. 20, 2020. Courtesy photo provided by Michigan Executive Office of the Governor.
Michigan Republicans in the House of Representatives refuse to allocate funds unless Gov. Whitmer gives up pandemic powers.
The Michigan GOP announced their recovery plan on Wednesday, which is over $2 billion less than Gov. Whitmer’s COVID Recovery Plan.
Gov. Whitmer and Michigan House Republicans have continued to disagree on how to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In December, Gov. Whitmer vetoed 13 bills that she thought could be dangerous for Michigan residents. Republicans are asking that the Governor give up her authority to ban in-person school and sports and instead allow local health departments to make that decision.
The plan introduced by Michigan republicans allocated $2.1 billion to schools if Gov. Whitmer allows local health departments to determine when to open up schools. Gov. Whitmer already announced that schools are expected to open back up for in-person learning on March 1.
The $3.2 billion GOP plan relies on federal funds in terms of distributing COVID-19 vaccines. The Detroit Free Press reported that the GOP only wants to allocate funds if it is necessary.
Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee Thomas Albert said, “the governor simply wants a blank check to continue a broken vaccine rollout strategy. Our plan requires transparency and accountability, forcing the administration to start delivering results.”
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