West Central Michigan News

State Representative Curt VanderWall, a Republican from Ludington, has criticized Governor Gretchen Whitmer's State of the State Address, accusing her of promoting policies that increase costs for taxpayers. VanderWall expressed his concerns about the governor's economic development plan and her approach to childcare, healthcare, and workforce housing.

VanderWall highlighted Governor Whitmer's claim to be working towards lowering costs for Michiganders but argued that her touted policies were actually increasing costs. He stated, "Her economic development plan has been more of a 'handout of the day' approach than an actual coordinated effort to bring Michigan's national standing up from 39th in personal incomes and 49th in population growth."

The representative also criticized the governor for passing unnecessary laws, such as one that codified Obamacare into Michigan law despite it already being enforced under federal law. VanderWall stated, "She also touted her new laws that are far from legislative wins, like an unnecessary bill that codified Obamacare into Michigan law though it was already enforced under federal law."

While VanderWall acknowledged the importance of addressing the issue of childcare, he expressed concern about the governor's proposed solution of universal pre-K. He argued that this approach would harm the in-home childcare industry and stated, "Putting all four-year-olds in the state system actually makes the problem worse."

The representative also raised concerns about the state's healthcare system, emphasizing the shortage of healthcare professionals in Michigan. VanderWall pointed out that while the governor mentioned a plan to provide tax breaks to caregivers, she failed to address the shortage of doctors and nurses. He stated, "Unpaid family caregivers are great, but our seniors need doctors and nurses too."

In addition, VanderWall discussed the topic of workforce housing and expressed encouragement that the governor acknowledged this issue. However, he criticized her plan to build only 10,000 homes with taxpayer dollars, stating that the true scope of the need was closer to 190,000 homes. VanderWall also argued that prevailing wage laws would make building homes at mandatory union rates more expensive.

In conclusion, Representative VanderWall expressed disappointment with Governor Whitmer's State of the State Address, stating, "I came to Lansing to work for my district, not pass purposeless bills and make performative speeches." He suggested that the governor's speech could be likened to Fleetwood Mac's song "Little Lies," implying that her claims lacked sincerity.

Overall, VanderWall's statement highlights his concerns about the governor's policies and their potential impact on taxpayers and various sectors in Michigan.