Latest news with #MattHall
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Progressive advocates highlight opposition to annual Mackinac Island conference
Michigan Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks, D-Grand Rapids, House Speaker Matt Hall, R-Richland Twp., Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt, R-Porter Twp., and House Minority Leader Ranjeev Puri, D-Canton, participate in a PAC reception during the third day of the Mackinac Policy Conference at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, Mich., on May 29, 2025. (Photo by Andrew Roth/Michigan Advance) The Detroit Regional Chamber's annual Mackinac Policy Conference is a controversial fixture of Michigan politics. Each year politicians, lobbyists, business representatives and community leaders gather at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island for three days of handshaking, networking and panel discussions aimed at issues like education, housing, economic development and foreign policy. Recent conferences have featured appearances from members of the state's congressional delegation and remarks from Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, alongside various politicians, politicos and business leaders such as former U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), former U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.) and businessman Mark Cuban. However, the conference has drawn criticism from Detroiters who say the chamber's agenda doesn't match their needs, while activist groups have raised concerns about the influence of corporate money in politics. While media and certain government officials receive complimentary registration, attending the conference carries a multi-thousand dollar price tag, with registration for the 2025 conference coming in at $3,700 for general members of the Detroit Regional Chamber and $4,900 for future members. The conference also carries several big name sponsors including Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, Rocket Companies and the state's largest energy providers, DTE Energy and Consumers Energy. Sam Inglot, director of the progressive advocacy group Progress Michigan called the conference 'a petri dish of some of the worst aspects of our political system.' 'Corporate money flooding our politics, exclusive access for only those with money and a lot of self-congratulatory bullcrap from political and lobbying insiders. What do Michiganders actually get out of this performance?' Inglot said in a statement. As part of its monthly Lake Effect Poll, conducted by the Democratic-leaning Public Policy Polling, Progress Michigan asked 622 Michigan voters between May 30 and May 31, 2025 about their thoughts on the conference. One question states 'these lawmaker trips to Mackinac Island are often funded by corporate lobbyists, who join lawmakers on the island as they make public policy decisions,' before asking voters whether they supported lawmakers traveling to places like Mackinac Island to make policy decisions that impact communities across the state. In response, most voters opposed having their officials travel to the conference, with 44% in strong opposition and 27% saying they somewhat opposed the notion. While Republicans and Democrats offered similar levels of opposition to lawmakers making the trip to Mackinac to talk policy, independents offered the strongest opposition of any subpopulation, with 47% in strong opposition and 27% saying they were somewhat opposed. Another question states 'Every year Michigan lawmakers travel to Mackinac Island, a place accessible only by ferry or private plane, to gather and make important public policy decisions,' before asking voters whether they support officials traveling to the island to make policy decisions. Responses to this question were increasingly split, with 45% of voters offering their opposition – with 25% strongly opposed – compared to 38% in support. The remaining 17% responded they weren't sure of their opinion. While Democrats were more supportive of lawmakers traveling to the island to make policy decisions with 46% offering support, Republicans and independents were more opposed to officials going on policymaking trips. Fifty-one percent of Republicans offered some form of opposition, while 50% of Independent voters were opposed, compared to the 35% of independents in support. 'The more people learn about the Mackinac Policy Conference and the corporate lobbyists who are the engine of it, the less they support it,' Inglot said. 'This is a trend we are seeing across the state, people are fed up with the corporate dominance of our politics. They want to see the money and the corrupting influence it brings out of our political system.' Catia Sabak, the chamber's director of communications said the Detroit Regional Chamber is proud to have led the conference for almost 50 years. 'Other states have tried, and failed, to recreate this special convening of the state's top leadership. It is truly unique in the nation,' Sabak said. 'Despite that the Conference is hosted by a private business organization and hosted on private property, the Chamber's current leadership has made most of the thought leadership shared on the Island available free of charge via a partnership with Detroit PBS and includes over 130 working media from local, state and national outlets, including CNN.' In an emailed statement, Kim Murphy-Kovalick, the senior director of policy for Voters Not Politicians, said Progress Michigan's polling underscores a key point: voters are fed up with the corrupting influence of money in politics. While the conference is great for getting access to lawmakers and political leaders, the people who can afford to make that trip are mostly lobbyists, special interests groups and industry insiders, not voters, Murphy-Kovalick said. Michigan politicians should instead place their focus on representing the voters who are excluded from attending the conference, Murphy-Kovalick said. 'Most everyday people have no insight into how Lansing functions, and this conference is one reason for that. If politicians can't afford to attend on their own dime, how can everyday Michiganders hope to compete with wealthy special interests and corporations for their attention?' she said. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Fox News
06-06-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
After ‘agroterror' fungus is seized in Detroit, lawmaker says Michigan has best plan to blunt CCP influence
EXCLUSIVE: After a dangerous fungus was intercepted in Detroit, Michigan House Speaker Matt Hall spoke out to Fox News Digital about the legislature's efforts to blunt Chinese influence and espionage. The fungus, Fusarium graminearum, is considered capable of "agroterrorism" and was allegedly smuggled into the country by two Chinese nationals studying at the University of Michigan. Hall, R-Kalamazoo, said he and colleagues have sounded the alarm for months about Beijing's efforts and that the incident shows Michigan and other states need to be vigilant and prepared. "As speaker, I led our Foreign Influence Protection package through the State House to block CCP operatives from buying Michigan farmland, infiltrating our universities and accessing our most sensitive data," he said. "Our plan would have tackled this head-on and prevented Chinese government interference with our food supply and our universities." He called the bill package the strongest collection of protections against CCP interference nationwide but said it is being held up by Senate Democrats and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. Requests for comment from Whitmer and Senate President Pro Tempore Jeremy Moss, D-Bloomfield, were not immediately returned. "Their inaction means our farmland, our military bases and our universities are still at risk," Hall lamented while praising President Donald Trump for taking action to protect U.S. land and people from Chinese "schemes." "Too many professors and administrators have let Beijing use our campuses as pawns. We will expose every CCP operation, root out every vulnerability and mobilize every state resource to secure Michigan — farmland, universities and beyond." While a Chinese embassy official claimed earlier this week to have no knowledge of the case involving two Chinese students allegedly attempting to bring a fungus to the University of Michigan, experts said the pathogen was capable of causing billions in damage to U.S. grain supplies. The case drew some parallels to the coronavirus pandemic, which sparked global debate over whether a viral pathogen may have emerged from a lab and infected the world. A Michigan House Republican Communications Office official said too many federal and state oversight bodies can be infiltrated by CCP sympathizers, and they have allowed foreign agents to run rampant on college campuses with CCP-backed research grants on dangerous things like Fusarium graminearum. While state officials like Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs have vetoed attempts to block Chinese-linked land purchases, Michigan House leaders have said security breaches like the Fusarium graminearum incident prove the issue cannot go unchecked. Republicans similarly criticized Whitmer for touting "corporate subsidy" deals with Chinese EV battery companies and a proposed Gotion vehicle plant in Big Rapids, Michigan. In 2024, House Chinese Communist Party Select Committee Chairman John Moolenaar, also a Michigan Republican, said he uncovered "indisputable evidence" that Gotion High Tech was connected to supply chains involving forced labor in China. "The American people expect companies in the U.S. to avoid all involvement with the Chinese Communist Party's campaign of genocide," Moolenaar said. The company, reportedly tied to both China and German-owned Volkswagen, denied the committee's findings, calling them "baseless and absolutely false." In October, five Chinese nationals studying in the Great Lakes State in partnership with a Chinese school were charged with espionage for what was an alleged spying operation outside Michigan National Guard Camp Grayling. A Michigan House source said the package would also block schools from accepting foreign grants if found to be promoting any anti-American agenda and strip foreign data-mining apps from government devices through provisions from Reps. Rachelle Smit, R-Allegan; Nancy Jenkins-Arno, R-Lenawee; and William Bruck, R-Erie. Michigan lawmakers are also trying to address another perceived threat from China: the use of drones and other technology linked to Chinese companies that are being employed by certain law enforcement agencies and municipal governments.
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Hall, Nesbitt support convention to rewrite state constitution
Michigan House Speaker Matt Hall, R-Richland Twp., left, and Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt, R-Porter Twp., participates in a PAC reception during the third day of the Mackinac Policy Conference at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, Mich., on May 29, 2025. (Photo by Andrew Roth/Michigan Advance) MACKINAC ISLAND – Republican leaders in the Michigan Legislature say they plan to support an initiative to hold a constitutional convention to rewrite the document. The proposal automatically appears on the ballot every 16 years. The November 2026 general election will be the fourth time since the state's current governing document, which went into effect in 1963, that voters decide whether to go back to the drawing board. House Speaker Matt Hall (R-Richland Township) said he does think we need a 'Con-Con.' 'They stuff so many things in this Constitution, all kinds of things, every time,' Hall said, pointing to ballot proposals legalizing marijuana and creating an independent redistricting commission that were approved by voters as examples. 'Some of those proposals sounded good, but then had intentions that the public is frustrated about,' Hall said. While Hall was focused on taking things out of the state's constitution, Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt (R-Porter Township) sees it as an opportunity to make updates that he said Lansing leaders haven't had the 'political courage … to actually get done.' Those include making the state superintendent an appointment of the governor rather than of the state Board of Education, as well as changes to how university boards are selected. 'I think there's a lot of things that should be discussed,' Nesbitt, who is running for governor, said. 'And the constitution could be a lot simpler than what it is right now.' That simplification could touch all aspects of the state's guiding document. Eric Lupher, president of the nonpartisan Citizens Research Council of Michigan, previously told the Michigan Advance that if a constitutional convention were to be approved, 'everything is fair game, from Article One through Article 12, so it's not a piecemeal approach. It is an open document that will be examined from A-to-Z.' Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks (D-Grand Rapids) said she hasn't given it much thought but is open to hearing pros and cons. House Minority Leader Ranjeev Puri (D-Canton) said he wasn't familiar with specifics of the proposal but that it didn't sound like something he would support. If voters did call a constitutional convention, a special primary and general election for delegates would be held, with one delegate elected in each of the state's 110 state House and 38 state Senate districts. The convention would convene in October 2027 with no limit on how long it would last before proposing a new constitution, which voters would either approve or reject. The legislative leaders were speaking during a Detroit Regional Chamber PAC reception during the final night of the Mackinac Policy Conference. The unusually tense reception marked the first meeting of the four so-called 'quadrant' leaders, representing the four key positions in the Michigan House and Senate, with no quadrant meetings having been held since last year. Brinks said the Democratic majority in the Senate is willing to work with the Republican majority in the House on priorities like transparency reform and long-term road funding. She said that starts by having more regular conversations. 'It's important for us to sit down and negotiate the differences,' Brinks said. 'That's how the Legislature works, and it's particularly important when we have a Republican-led House and Democratic-led Senate to sit down and just hash out those differences.' Puri said it should be easy to set up plans for another meeting, pulling out his phone and saying he has time next Tuesday at 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. But Hall said he doesn't need to meet with the other legislative leaders, arguing that the House is getting things done on their own, though the state has seen just four bills signed into law so far this year. Hall pointed to an Epic-MRA poll saying he has a 60% approval rating as evidence that his current strategy is working. But Puri said the polling numbers aren't indicative of the state's actual perspectives. 'I congratulate the Speaker on his polling numbers. Contrary to what you're saying, that was not statewide in Michigan, that was a select few lobbyists and Lansing insiders telling you that you're doing a great job,' Puri said. 'I don't get my validation by pleasing lobbyists, and I see some in the room, I'm sorry. My validation is waking up to a family that loves me.' Hall said he does work well with Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, citing a positive vision while criticizing Brinks and Puri for offering a negative vision. 'I would encourage the Democrat leaders to empower your governor, Gretchen Whitmer,' Hall said. 'Empower her in negotiations, and her and I will get a deal done, and we'll get it done very quickly, on the budget, on roads, on many things.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Hall once again dodges commitment to finalize budget by deadline
Michigan House Speaker Matt Hall leads a press conference at the Mackinac Policy Conference on May 28, 2025. | Kyle Davidson MACKINAC ISLAND – During a press conference at the Mackinac Policy Conference Wednesday, Michigan House Speaker Matt Hall once again refused to commit to finalizing the Fiscal Year 2026 State budget by its legal deadline. For years lawmakers have worked to complete a budget prior to July 1, as required by state law, although failing to finish before the deadline carries no penalties. Hall has previously argued the Legislature's responsibility under the state constitution is to pass a budget before the new Fiscal Year begins on Oct. 1, telling reporters the budget might not be finalized until Sept. 30, a move both Senate Democrats and Republicans have criticized as irresponsible. After teasing several budget items in the House's plan for Fiscal Year 2025-2026 alongside fellow House Republicans, Hall once again refused to commit to finalizing the budget before the deadline. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX 'Well, we'll see. You know, I think we got to work through it,' Hall said when asked if he would commit to moving a budget out of the House before July. When pressed further, Hall criticized the Democratic-led Senate's $84.6 billion budget proposal, arguing the budget was not balanced, following reports from the May 16 Consensus Revenue Estimating Conference which found lawmakers will have $320 million less in revenue than initially predicted, largely due to the impact of tariffs instituted by the Trump administration. While the House has yet to pass its own proposals, Hall told reporters its budget would be smaller than the budget passed last year, when Democrats controlled the chamber. He also promised a $12,000 per-pupil allowance in the House's education budget and $1 billion deposit in the state's rainy day fund. 'This is going to make a big impact in our local school districts across Michigan, allow them to hire more teachers, shrink class sizes, update textbooks, invest in technology, improve school safety, and also, with that $1 billion rainy day fund, we'll be able to prepare. If there's any problems in the future that'll be a good down payment toward addressing that,' Hall said In the state's higher education budget, Hall floated a $5,500 scholarship for every Michigan high school graduate attending a Michigan university or college which would be offered every year for up to four years. For community colleges, the state will offer students $2,750, Hall said. 'We look at some of the scholarships that are being offered by the government, and a lot of them are based on, not everyone gets them. Some of them are based on income, family income, things like that,' he said. 'We want our universities to be attracting and working to gain Michigan students. And so I think really taking some of these scholarships that exist, and turning them into something that every Michigan high school student will receive to help make college and universities more affordable, while also ensuring they go to a Michigan University is going to make a big difference there,' Hall said.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Democrat House leader sounds off on GOP speaker Matt Hall
The Brief GOP Speaker of the House Matt Hall is facing pushback in Lansing from the House Democrat leader. Ranjeev Puri accused Hall of supporting bad policies by the Trump administration that hurt Michigan. LANSING (FOX 2) - House Democrats have broken their collective silence and are taking on GOP Speaker Matt Hall for the way he is running the Michigan House. Hall has staged weekly news conference dating back to January 14. Have the House Democrats held weekly news conferences to respond? Big picture view Nope, until now. House Democratic leader Ranjeev Puri took on the speaker with a list of allegations. "When unserious people are put in the position of power they have, there are very dangerous consequences," Puri said. "I don't understand why Matt Hall has not been standing up for the people of Michigan." The House Democrats accused the speaker of following an alleged broken down agenda coming from President Donald Trump. The Democrats argued the GOP speaker ought to be rejecting Trump's tariffs with a bad impact on Michigan. "Tell Donald Trump, 'Hey, maybe a trade war isn't good for our state," Puri said. The Democrats also argue the speaker is wrong for missing the july one budget deadline that could force schools to lay off teachers during the summer. "Teachers are pink slipped, hundreds of teachers in individual districts will be put on leave this summer," he said. Of course the speaker deflects the criticism saying he is taking more time to find more waste in the budget in order to save taxpayers' Hall has criticized Lansing Democrat Senator Sarah Anthony for writing a budget that is a billion dollars out of whack. One could say that budget peace is not at hand - but the rhetoric is going up. The Source Information for this report is from an interview with House Democratic leader Ranjeev Puri.
