With the state’s budget still in limbo, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer visited West Michigan Wednesday, once again calling on lawmakers to consider a 45-cent gas tax increase. The plea to lawmakers came in Muskegon, where Whitmer addressed business owners at a breakfast hosted by the Lakeshore Chamber of Commerce.
It’s been since March when Gov. Whitmer first proposed the state budget to the legislature, yet over four months later, no deal has yet to be made, with the divided state government electing to break for July and August.
While Whitmer has been vocally angry at lawmakers for taking a “vacation” before finalizing the budget, the governor called for unity Wednesday.
“Divided government does not need to look like Washington DC. It can look incredibly productive,” Whitmer said. “It can look like the Michigan we all think of when we have divided government many times, and saw that it can really work well.”
However, Whitmer and the State Legislature still seem to be far from a new budget deal, with the main non-starter being a proposed 45-cent gas tax increase that would help generate revenue to fix Michigan’s crumbling roads and bridges.
“I don’t want to raise the gas tax,” Whitmer said. “But the problem is, we have a $2.5 billion infrastructure problem in the state of Michigan.”
Both the state house and state senate have passed their own perspective transportation budget proposals that fall short of $2.5 billion. Meanwhile, a deal must be made by October 1st to avoid a state government shutdown.