The Republican gubernatorial field has proposed dangerous and irresponsible agendas that would undermine Michigan’s economy and rob working Michiganders by gutting funding for public schools, law enforcement, and infrastructure.
Governor Whitmer has shown she can work across the aisle to put money back in people’s pockets, and she is fighting to build on this momentum and support Michiganders through tough times.
Governor Whitmer Is Cutting Costs for Families
- Governor Whitmer secured $400 refund checks for every Michigan driver, for each car they own – a total of $3 billion back in the pockets of Michiganders.
- “In the largest effort of its kind in state history,” Governor Whitmer is cutting the cost of higher education and job training with the new Michigan Reconnect and Futures for Frontliners programs. Across the state, these programs have already put more than 170,000 Michiganders on a tuition-free path to good paying jobs.
- Whitmer is making child care more affordable and has expanded low or no-cost child care to 105,000 more kids, with the “the largest investment in child care in the state’s history,” “six times the state’s usual resources.” She also started the MI Tri-Share Child Care program, a “first of its kind” program in the country to split the cost of care between the state, participating employers, and workers and expanded it to 59 counties so far. The Governor secured bonuses for nearly 40,000 child care workers, with most receiving two rounds of $1,000 dollars each, on top of grants for almost 6,000 providers. And earlier this month, the Governor signed legislation empowering child care providers to expand their capacity to reach more families.
- Whitmer is cutting the cost of pre-K, helping enroll 35,000 4-year olds in affordable, high quality preschool through the Great Start Readiness Program. Whitmer’s 67 percent increase in GSRP funding is helping “steady the child care sector in Michigan’s lowest-income communities.” Since Whitmer delivered this historic investment, more affordable preschools have opened across the state, “including new sites which are affiliated with 61 community-based organizations and 21 school districts.”
- Whitmer signed bipartisan bills to lower the costs of prescription drugs by capping copays, empowering patients to access cheaper treatment, and preventing middlemen from “driving up drug costs.”
- Increasing access to affordable health care, Governor Whitmer extended Healthy Michigan to cover over 1 million people. She recently signed legislation aimed at increasing price transparency in health insurance and driving down costs with increased competition and choice for consumers. Michigan’s average Benchmark health insurance premium is among the top five most affordable in the country.
Governor Whitmer Cut Taxes For Michigan Small Businesses and Is Putting More Money Back in Michiganders’ Pockets
- Governor Whitmer cut taxes for hundreds of thousands of local Michigan businesses, adding up to $200 million in annual savings.
- She cut equipment and property taxes for small businesses through bipartisan legislation that will equate to $75 million saved for local businesses.
