After $1 billion tax cut for seniors and working families, historically low unemployment, thousands of manufacturing jobs coming home, state must keep foot on accelerator   

LANSING, Mich. —  Last week, Governor Gretchen Whitmer sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks and Speaker Joe Tate celebrating the state’s strong growth, $1 billion tax cut for seniors and working families, economic development work, and record investments in housing, community revitalization, and more. She urged them to keep moving forward with the state’s successful economic strategy as they write and pass a budget.   

The full text of the letter can be found below:   

Dear Legislative Leaders:    

Our economic strategy is working.    

Last Friday, the May Consensus Revenue Estimating Conference shared that revenues are higher than projected in January. Corporate tax revenues, in particular, are up significantly. Last Thursday, we learned that Michigan’s unemployment rate is 3.8%, comparable to the lowest levels we have seen only two other times since the 1970s. Our labor force participation rate is up. We delivered a $1 billion tax cut for seniors and working families. We made record, bipartisan investments to build thousands of housing units and revitalize communities, making our cities and towns more attractive places to live and work. Soon, we will deliver another balanced budget that lowers costs on many kitchen-table priorities: pre-K, school meals, child care, health care, higher education, and energy.    

All this progress has been powered by our economic development efforts which have helped us secure thousands of good-paying manufacturing jobs and brought home critical supply chains of cars, chips, and clean energy. As I said in my state of the state earlier this year, for too long we were fighting with one hand tied behind our back. Now, we are competing with anyone and everyone to bring the next generation of manufacturing home to Michigan.    

Just a few weeks ago, we saw a tangible example of this strategy in effect. We won a $400 million investment from Nel Hydrogen, an international clean energy leader, to build a gigafactory in Michigan. They specifically cited our burgeoning ecosystem of advanced manufacturing and strong talent network as reasons for investing in Michigan to create more than 500 jobs in Southeast Michigan. The more projects we land, the more companies will want to be a part of what we are building—a state with a strong manufacturing economy offering a great quality of life at a good cost of living.    

Our hard work is paying off. Together, we have powered record business growth, built one of the strongest labor markets in half a century, cut taxes for seniors and working families, and breathed new life into every region of Michigan. But we cannot let up. Let’s keep our foot on the accelerator and continue our economic development efforts, while simultaneously lowering costs and delivering on the kitchen-table issues that matter most to working families.     

Let’s keep getting it done for the Michiganders we serve and the state we love.     

Sincerely,    

Gretchen Whitmer  

Governor    

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