Latest news with #Whitmer
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Michigan GOP school spending plan spends more while axing free breakfast and lunch
LANSING — House Republicans would outspend Democrats under a $21.9-billion budget for K-12 schools they passed June 11. But there are major differences in how school money would be spent, with more of it going to wealthier Michigan districts, cyber schools and even private schools under the GOP plan. House Bill 4577, approved in a 56-53 mostly party line vote, is sure to see significant changes before the K-12 budget is finalized for the 2026 fiscal year that begins Oct. 1. It is a markedly different plan from the $21.8 billion plan approved by the Democratic-controlled Senate and the $21.2-billion proposal unveiled in February by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, also a Democrat. In the coming weeks or months, leaders from both legislative chambers will attempt to reach a consensus on a school spending plan, as well as a broader state government budget that both chambers can pass in identical form, and that Whitmer is willing to sign into law. House Republicans passed the record K-12 spending plan after repeatedly criticizing Whitmer for what they described as bloated budgets and after using their social media platform on X June 11 to taunt Whitmer for saying in her February State of the State address that Michigan spends more per pupil than most other states but gets less in terms of academic results. "Gov. Whitmer admitted Republicans are right," the Michigan House GOP posted, with a clip of that portion of Whitmer's speech, just before proposing even higher per-pupil spending than Whitmer did. In 2024, House Republicans made an election issue of the Democratic K-12 budget for reducing line-item spending on student mental health and school safety. The plan the GOP passed June 11 eliminates that $107.8-million line item altogether, according to a House Fiscal Agency analysis, rolling mental health and school safety into broader chunks of funding that Speaker Matt Hall, R-Richland Township, said gives school districts more flexibility in how they spend. Districts would be required to certify that their budgets support at least one school resource officer and one mental health support staff member, according to the fiscal analysis. The GOP plan sets a school foundation allowance of $10,025 per pupil, up from $9,608 this year. That's higher than the $10,000 per-pupil grant proposed by Whitmer and the $10,008 per-pupil grant in the Senate Democrat plan. But in eliminating many line items and earmarks, the Republican school budget also provides for an additional $3.1 billion in per-pupil payments, with about $2,200 per pupil going to school districts and intermediate school districts and $40.8 million to private schools. The Michigan Constitution prohibits public funding of private schools, so that part of the Republican plan would likely face a court challenge if it ended up in the final version of the school budget. The GOP school budget eliminates Whitmer's signature policy of providing free breakfast and lunch to all public school students. Instead, it leaves participation in such a program up to individual school districts, regardless of how wealthy the families in that school district are. Also eliminated in the House GOP plan are proposed spending increases for at-risk students, who are defined as economically disadvantaged. Whitmer proposed a $42.3-million increase from the School Aid Fund, while Senate Democrats proposed an extra $258.7 million. The Republican plan holds at risk spending at 2025 levels. "We're building a stronger model by putting trust where it belongs — in the hands of local school boards, parents, and educators who know their communities best," said state Rep. Ann Bollin, R-Brighton Township, who chairs the House Appropriations Committee. "Every district is different, and the people closest to the students should be the ones making the decisions.' But Curtis Hertel, chairman of the Michigan Democratic Party, said the plan will force many children to go hungry while doing nothing to improve academic performance. 'This education budget kills the school breakfast and lunch programs, cuts funding for school safety and mental health programs, and will reduce the actual dollars going into the classroom,' Hertel said in a news release. Under the Republican plan, public cyber schools, which have lower building and transportation costs, would receive the same foundation allowances as brick-and-mortal schools do. Whitmer's plan and the Senate plan would give cyber schools a per-pupil grant that is 20% lower, saving around $30 million, according to the House Fiscal Agency analysis. Two of the most conservative House Republicans, Rep. Steve Carra, R-Three Rivers, and Rep. Josh Schriver, R-Oxford, were the only GOP members to join all House Democrats in voting against the plan. Contact Paul Egan: 517-372-8660 or pegan@ This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan GOP school spending plan bigger, axes free breakfast, lunch
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Gun sales are dropping in these states. Where does Michigan rank?
Michigan and the U.S. saw fewer gun sales in 2024 than the previous year, a new report from SafeHome, a home security company, says. The June 4 report shows declining gun sales nationwide over the past three years, following a peak during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The data focuses on 2023 to 2024, when gun sales dropped 3.4% nationwide. While sales trended down nationwide, a few states saw increasing gun sale rates, according to the report, mainly in states with strong hunting culture and more relaxed gun laws. "America's storied relationship with firearms and the Second Amendment remains a defining part of its national identity. Each election cycle, politicians return to familiar platforms, either defending or contending the American citizen's right to bear arms," the report stated. "For many people, stringent gun control laws are imperative for ensuring their safety, while for others, expanding access to firearms enhances their personal sense of security." Michigan had one of the sharpest declines in sales in 2024, down 13.3% from the previous year. In 2023, the state expanded universal background checks to cover private sales and implemented strict safe storage laws, with felony penalties for violations involving minors. Additional legislation passed in late 2023 expanded gun-free zones to government buildings. Massachusetts had the most significant year-over-year increase in gun sales, rising 22.5% between 2023 and 2024, the report noted. The spike followed the 2024 implementation of An Act Modernizing Firearms Laws, which expanded the legal definition of firearms to include covert guns, unfinished frames, bump stocks, assault-style weapons, and more. People may have preemptively purchased guns before the law took effect, per the report. Washington state, meanwhile, saw a 45.7% decrease in gun sales between 2023 and 2024, more than triple the decline of any other state. The drop correlates with the passing of several major pieces of gun legislation in 2023, including a sweeping assault weapons ban, mandatory firearms safety training, and stricter requirements for licensed firearm dealers. Here's what to know. Michigan had a 13.3% decline in gun sales rates from 2023 to 2024, the report says. The Mitten state reported 481,870 guns sold in 2024. In the first four months of 2025, there were about 159,000 firearms sold in Michigan. The report attributes Michigan's sharp gun sales decline to the recent passage of gun control laws. In the wake of the Michigan State University mass shooting in 2023, Gov. Whitmer signed legislation to reduce gun violence. The laws expanded background checks and enacted regulations for safe firearms storage. Michigan also put into place "red flag" laws that can remove firearms from people deemed to be a danger to themselves or others. The U.S. gun sale rate dropped 3.4% from 2023 to 2024, per the report. In the first four months of 2025, American gun dealers and individuals sold approximately 5.2 million guns, putting the year on pace for a projected 4% drop in sales compared to 2024. In addition to Michigan, these states had the steepest declines in gun sale rates: Washington: 265,915 firearms, 45.7% drop Connecticut: 103.805, 13.5% drop Maryland: 186,085, 12.8% drop New Mexico: 143,469, 12.3% drop Declining gun sales can be attributed to a variety of factors, including the economy, gun control legislation, crime rates and public opinion, the report says. These states saw gun sale rates increase, bucking the national trend: Massachusetts: 167,103, 22.5% increase Iowa: 89,144, 7.7% increase South Carolina: 277,081, 6.9% increase New Hampshire: 145,700, 6.7% increase Arkansas: 213,165, 6.4% increase The report also noted the states with the highest gun sale rates per 100 residents age 21 or older in 2024: Wyoming: 16.1 (68,964 guns sold) Montana: 15.9 (135,000 guns sold) Alaska: 15.4 (79,000 guns sold) New Hampshire: 13.3 (145,000 guns sold) Oregon: 13.2 (429,000 guns sold) Alabama: 12.3 (460,000 guns sold) North Dakota: 11.7 (65,000 guns sold) Idaho: 11.5 (162,000 guns sold) West Virginia: 11.5 (155,000 guns sold) Tennessee: 11.1 (583,000 guns sold) Oklahoma: 11.1 322,000 guns sold) In 2024, the states with the lowest gun sale rates compared to population size were Hawaii, Washington D.C., New York, New Jersey, and Nebraska. The SafeHome rankings cited data from the FBI's National Instant Criminal Background Check System from 2010 to April 2025, the report stated. Contact Jenna Prestininzi: jprestininzi@ This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan, other US states seem gun sales drops. What the data show
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Whitmer and other Democratic governors condemn Trump deploying National Guard amid ICE protests
Protesters march around Metropolitan Detention Center in protest of an ICE raid on June 6, 2025. Photo by J.W. Hendricks by CalMatters President Donald Trump deployed at least 300 California National Guard troops to Los Angeles Sunday amid anti immigration enforcement protests in a move that Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and other Democratic governors say is an abuse of power that puts residents and law enforcement in danger. Sunday marked the third day of protests over the Trump administration's deportation efforts and it was marked by several vehicles being set on fire, dozens of arrests and protestors throwing projectiles at law enforcement and law enforcement firing non-lethal foam and rubber bullets. California Gov. Gavin Newsom did not request for the National Guard to be brought in. It's been 60 years since a president bypassed getting cooperation from a state's governor before deploying Guard troops in a state. In a statement of condemnation of Trump's move to mobilize California's National Guard, Whitmer and 21 other Democratic governors on Sunday decried Trump's actions as overreach and a decision that is not in the interest of public safety. 'It's important we respect the executive authority of our country's governors to manage their National Guards – and we stand with Governor Newsom who has made it clear that violence is unacceptable and that local authorities should be able to do their jobs without the chaos of this federal interference and intimidation,' the statement reads. When asked for further comment. Whitmer's office told Michigan Advance the statement was all the governor would be saying on the topic for now. Dozens protest outside Detroit ICE field office against Los Angeles immigration raids Trump noted on the campaign trail that his immigration crackdown would come down hard on deeply Democratic California. Mass deportations in California have created chaos, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said in a news conference Sunday, according to the Hill. Bass urged protestors to remain peaceful and not give into the 'Administration's trap'.' 'When you raid Home Depots and workplaces, when you tear parents and children apart, and when you run armored caravans through our streets, you cause fear and panic,' Bass said. 'The fear people are feeling in our city right now is very real – it's felt in our communities and within our families. It is clear that the Administration is pushing an agenda — there is clearly no plan other than chaos… We will rise above it.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Lifestyle
- Yahoo
As a gay couple, we worried about acceptance in conservative Michigan town
My husband and I were married two years ago this August, after dating for 11 years. Neither of us had been in a hurry to tie the knot. We've always had a loving and easy relationship, and formalizing it didn't seem all that changed in June 2022, when I was infected with COVID-19 and double pneumonia. After spending nine days in the hospital, I returned home to recover. As my husband was hooking up my oxygen, it struck me — this was the most important person in the world to me. He was, and still is, the kindest person I know. I looked at him and said, 'Do you want to get married?' He said, 'Sure.'The next year, we had a small wedding attended by close friends and family, and we started to plan for the future. One of those plans included buying a cottage on a lake. We focused our search on the Irish Hills region of Michigan, not far from our home in Detroit. But we ended up falling in love with a house on a beautiful and peaceful lake in Hillsdale, Michigan, just outside the Irish Hills. More from Freep Opinion: Democrats better hope Michigan Gov. Whitmer changes her mind about presidential run To be honest, we were surprised. So were most of our friends. Hillsdale is known as one of the most conservative areas in Michigan. Our friendship circle in Detroit is diverse, and mostly leans progressive. After the purchase, I had questions: Would we fit in? Would we be accepted as a gay couple? Would we feel welcome, and find other LGBTQ+ people? Yes, we probably should've asked those questions before buying. But the truth is, we were taken in by the countryside's beauty — we both grew up in rural areas, and it felt like coming home. Now, after 15 months in Hillsdale, we couldn't be happier. We've built a community of friends from across the political spectrum, and have met other LGBTQ+ couples on a nearby lake. One of our neighbors is Japanese, and we trade information about favorite restaurant and grocery stores in the metro Detroit area. And the most important lesson I've learned? Our neighbors in Hillsdale are just like our neighbors in Detroit. They're kind. They work in all sorts of jobs. They have families. They look out for each other — and for us. Our neighbors in Hillsdale ― like in Detroit ― have keys to our house, and take the trash out or bring the can up when we aren't there. We realized we don't have to necessarily be in a community of LGBTQ+ people. We just needed to be in an accepting community. More from Freep Opinion: Ghost of Brooks Patterson and specter of Donald Trump collide in Oakland County Soon after buying the house, there was a storm and tornado warning. I contacted one of our neighbors to check on the house. She texted back an image of a rainbow over our house and the comment, 'It must be a sign of welcome to the neighborhood.' In today's uncertain world, we've found a sense of comfort here that mirrors what we feel in Detroit. Our experience in Hillsdale has challenged the assumptions I once held about 'red states' vs. 'blue states,' or conservatives vs. liberals. Most people, it turns out, fall somewhere in the middle. Some lean left on certain issues; others lean right. But what I've seen is that at the end of the day, what really matters is how we treat each other. I hope that one day soon, we can all move past the constant divisions and labels. Let's focus on relationships, on building community, and — perhaps most importantly — simply being kind to one Dick is a proud gay man living with his husband in Detroit's East English Village, and part time in Hillsdale, Michigan. He spent 18 years with the City of Detroit, most recently as Chief Operating Officer. He joined Wayne State University in the fall of 2024 as Sr. Associate Vice President and Deputy Chief Business Officer. Submit a letter to the editor at and we may publish it online and in print. Like what you're reading? Please consider supporting local journalism and getting unlimited digital access with a Detroit Free Press subscription. We depend on readers like you. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan gay couple finds home in conservative Hillsdale | Opinion
USA Today
08-06-2025
- Politics
- USA Today
Whitmer says she won't run for president. Democrats better hope she's joking.
For nearly as long as she's been governor, Gretchen Whitmer has been considered a presidential hopeful. And for nearly as long as she's been considered a presidential hopeful, Michigan's governor has been telling anybody who'd listen that she's actually not. When an interviewer at a Detroit Economic Club forum in April asked Whitmer what she's looking forward to in 2026, when she's term-limited out of office, the governor didn't miss a beat: "Retiring." Democrats better hope Whitmer was joking, because she may be the party's best hope of reclaiming the White House in 2028. Why Whitmer and not Buttigieg, Shapiro or Beshear? We could talk here about the other guys likely to seek the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination, a list that includes, at minimum: Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle. Former Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg California Gov. Gavin Newsom Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro Colorado Gov. Jared Polis Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear And it will surely grow over the next three years. But I think it's a better idea to talk about Whitmer. She's a successful purple-state governor (a recent Impact Research poll puts her approval rating at a whopping 63%) with decades of legislative, policymaking and executive experience. She speaks with intelligence and sensitivity on subjects from manufacturing to motherhood. She's got a knack for focusing on substantive issues that offer common ground, like funding our schools and fixing our roads. At 53, she's youthful and energetic ‒ but seasoned and experienced ‒ in a party with a surfeit of octogenarians, and she's a woman in a party whose voters, at times, seem disinclined toward white male candidates, at least at the state and congressional levels. Whitmer is an effective advocate for the causes she champions, and, as a mom who seemed to effortlessly balance raising two daughters, now grown, and leading the 10th most populous state in the nation, she's an aspirational figure for thousands of Michigan women who can't remember if they put money in their kid's school lunch account. (OK, it's me. I'm Michigan women.) Whitmer was elected and reelected by wide margins, and her approval rating has never dipped below 50%, which is, in these sorry times, a real achievement. "She is a superb retail politician, and a really unique one," said pollster Richard Czuba of the Glengariff Group. "You watch her work a rope line, and she makes everyone feel seen. And she comes from a state that's a must-win for a Democrat." American voters like centrists – and Whitmer does what voters expect There's no denying that her willingness to work with President Donald Trump has disappointed some Democrats who would prefer blanket opposition to hopeful collaboration. That centrist thing, Czuba said, is really only a problem for the far flanks of both parties ‒ and they're not the swing voters who decide elections, in Michigan or in the United States. "We did this question last year: Should an elected official cross party lines and negotiate with the other party to get something done, or should elected officials stick to the party's position and stand up for it?" said Czuba, of a survey of likely voters for the Detroit Regional Chamber ahead of the 2024 Mackinac Policy Conference. "It was 70% to 19%." The 19%, he said, were on the far right and the far left. "She's doing exactly what most voters expect of their leaders," Czuba said. "The governor understands the middle in a way that few people understand independent, centrist voters. That's one of her strengths. She pays attention to the center. In a purple state like Michigan, if you don't, you lose. That's how Democrats can win nationally. "They need to pay attention to the center, because if you don't, you lose." Gretchen Whitmer doesn't start fights, but she can finish them This is who Whitmer has always been. Her political sensibility is best described as "cheerfully determined,' and if there were an Olympic event in keeping your cool, this lady would hold the gold medal. As late as January 2018, powerful Democratic men – including Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan – were working to replace Whitmer on the Democratic gubernatorial ballot. Her response? "I'm staying focused on running a campaign that can win, so we can get Michigan back to being a state our kids will stay in when they graduate," Whitmer told me that year. "I'm eager to build the coalition. … I'm eager to work with anyone who wants to solve problems." In 2019, when then-Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey, a Republican, called her "batshit crazy" to a crowd of supporters, or said in 2021 that he and the GOP legislature had "spanked" Whitmer "hard" on the budget and appointments, the governor wasn't mad, just disappointed: "I think that we deserve better, frankly, but I'm not going to spend my energy there because I've got a lot of important things that I'm working on that the people of our state need us to be all-successful on." In her most recent State of the State address, with Republicans back at the helm of the House of Representatives, Whitmer stayed on collaborative message: '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 White House or on the other side of the table in Lansing. Yes, I do hope to find common ground with President Trump and work with the Democratic Senate and Republican House on our shared priorities.' Whitmer doesn't start fights, but she's not a pushover. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she went toe-to-toe with Trump, who dubbed her "that woman from Michigan," and in 2022 she led the charge to enshrine reproductive rights in the state constitution after Roe v. Wade was overturned. She's a staunch supporter of civil rights, women's rights and LBGTQ+ rights, and she has made it clear that won't change. What does Whitmer's 'folder incident' at the White House mean? The Econ Club interview last month came on the heels of a rough week for Michigan's governor. A meeting with Trump, set to discuss a new fighter mission for Selfridge Air Force Base and invasive Asian carp in the Great Lakes, had taken a turn: After exchanging pleasant remarks with Whitmer and Michigan's Republican House Speaker Matt Hall, a wave of cameras poured into the Oval Office as Trump signed two executive orders authorizing politically motivated investigations of staffers who served in his first term. An uncomfortable Whitmer edged away from the action, at one point holding a folder in front of her face as a photographer snapped a picture. The image, published on April 12 by The New York Times, reverberated through the political world. ("What was going through my mind at that moment?" she said to the Econ Club interviewer. "'I don't want my picture taken.'") I got dozens of texts the day the picture published, mostly from political insiders who saw The Folder Incident as Whitmer's Howard Dean scream. (Which, of course, is not actually what ended 2004 candidate Dean's presidential ambitions ... but we're still talking about it, 21 years later.) As the story unfolded, some of the Democratic insiders and national pundits who had been enamored with the notion of Whitmer as a presidential contender soured on the governor. The honeymoon, it seemed, was over. I didn't feel so great about The Folder Incident myself. It was unpleasant to watch a strong female governor treated that way, and the image, I thought, would reverberate. But outside the political bubble, it was a different story. When I floated the suggestion that this might tank Whitmer's presidential future past a friend who's not knee-deep in politics, my friend was skeptical. "Hmm. I guess we'll see. The 2028 election is a long way away," she said. "Some people will just see it as, 'I have nothing to do with this.'" My friend isn't alone. In an Epic-MRA poll conducted between April 28 through May 3 – after the Oval Office meeting – 52% of Michiganders said they approved of Whitmer's performance as governor, consistent with previous polls. In the same survey, just 41% said the same of Trump. A few weeks later, that new fighter mission at Selfridge Whitmer went to the White House to discuss – it happened. Democrats need to reconnect with voters Most folks in jobs like mine have responded to Whitmer's repeated assertions that she's into the job she has, not the one everyone thinks she wants, with mild eye-rolling to outright scoffing. But I believe her. When Whitmer says she's not running in 2028, it doesn't sound coy. It's been a punishing seven years, complete with a pandemic and a murder/kidnapping plot that an astounding number of people somehow see as a punchline or a put-up, and it's easy to imagine that she's ready for a break. Still, if I were a Democratic strategist, I'd be wondering whether I could persuade Whitmer to change her mind. Democrats want to win, but winning elections isn't just about numbers on the board. Voters are people, people whose lives are affected by who sits in the governor's mansion, or in the Oval Office. What Democrats need is to reconnect with voters, and Whitmer is among the few Democrats willing – or able – to give the party what it needs. Nancy Kaffer is the editorial page editor of the Detroit Free Press, where this column originally appeared. Contact her atnkaffer@
