LANSING, Mich. — Sen. Joseph Bellino, R-Monroe, issued the following statement Wednesday after Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s “What’s Next Address” ahead of the Legislature’s fall session:
“The governor’s address was a laundry list of extreme liberal policies that will hurt our state’s ability to attract new people and investment while burdening struggling Michigan families and small businesses with new costs.
“Rather than addressing the problems of high prices for everything from food to fuel that Michigan residents face on a daily basis, the governor is focused on more government mandates and more government control of people’s lives.
“The governor’s energy pipe dream is irresponsible and reckless. She wants to continue giving billions of taxpayer dollars to companies to transition to electric vehicles while at the same time handcuffing how we supply the energy to power those vehicles. Unless clean-burning natural gas and nuclear power are considered part of the plan, a 100% renewable energy mandate by 2035 will be nearly impossible to achieve and will come at a huge cost to families and businesses – both in the form of higher costs and less reliable service. Adding millions of electric vehicles just compounds the problem.
“Government spending is at an all-time high, but it is never enough. Considering the governor proposed a $2.5 billion gas tax hike during her first three months in office, it should come as no surprise that she wants to impose new taxes on businesses. The real surprise will be if any moderate Democrat has the guts to stand up for the Michigan people and stop her.”
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