Yesterday, Michigan Court of Claims Judge Christopher Murray ruled that Governor Gretchen Whitmer overstepped her authority in giving out felony penalties for employers who violate emergency orders in safeguarding workplaces. Murray gave the Associated Builders and Contractors a victory in their lawsuit against Whitmer, stating that she only has the authority to give out misdemeanors and smaller fines. Last Friday, the Michigan Supreme Court also sided with Owosso Barber Karl Manke, who reopened his barbershop, despite Governor Whitmer’s stay at home order. The Michigan Supreme Court overturned the Court of Appeals ruling since it was not unanimous and did not afford Manke oral arguments in the case. “Since this pandemic began, Gretchen Whitmer has abused her authority to elevate her national profile instead of focusing on what’s best for the people of Michigan,” said Laura Cox, Michigan Republican Party Chairman. “I hope these rulings are a reality check for the Governor, and that she will now use her executive authority to help Michiganders instead of trying to bully them into submitting to her will.” More >

The following statement is from Michigan Republican Party Chairman Laura Cox regarding comments today by Governor Gretchen Whitmer, stating that she supports the “spirit of” the defund the police movement. “It's no shock to me that Gretchen Whitmer wants to cut money for policing. After all, last year, she used her line-item veto to cut millions meant for local law enforcement in the state budget. Today’s statement by the governor is just another attempt to grab national headlines and attract Joe Biden’s attention in her quest for the Vice Presidential nomination. While we need to ensure the proper steps are taken with our police departments to protect all citizens equally, we must never forget the important job that the men and women of law enforcement do to safeguard our communities.” More >

The following statement is from Michigan Republican Party Chairman Laura Cox regarding comments today by Attorney General Dana Nessel, claiming that state fines levied against the Edenville Dam had nothing to do with the dam’s devastating failure in May. “It is imperative to get to the truth of this tragedy, and the people of Michigan have a right to know whether these fines played any part in the dam’s failure. In the interest of open government, I am calling upon Governor Whitmer and Attorney General Dana Nessel to release all state documents and correspondence regarding the Edenville Dam since the state took over monitoring its safety in 2018.” More >

This week, new reporting from Bridge Magazine showed how horribly overrun Michigan’s nursing homes and extended care facilities were during the COVID-19 outbreak. Despite a shortage of tests and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for staff and residents, Governor Whitmer and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) directed patients who tested positive for coronavirus to facilities which contained negative patients and staff, and turned these facilities into “COVID Hubs”. The state has continued to hold back on reporting deaths in nursing homes and reported inaccurate data, which was later corrected in a federal government report. “Instead of going on late night comedy shows or being the focus of profiles in fashion magazines, Gretchen Whitmer should have been working to ensure seniors received the care they so badly needed.” said Laura Cox, Michigan Republican Party Chairman. Cox continued, “Her administration’s failed policies turned nursing homes into COVID hotspots. What’s even more tragic is that our most vulnerable fellow citizens were then left to suffer because Governor Whitmer refused to put her full focus into Michigan. Whitmer’s failure to release data backing up her policies is telling. The people of Michigan deserve answers, not political posturing.” More >

Cox: “While Michiganders struggle at home, Gary Peters is growing wealthy in Washington.” Senator Gary Peters refused to accept a pay cut after being questioned by WXYZ anchor Carolyn Clifford in a statewide town hall meeting about the difficulties facing Michigan families during the COVID-19 pandemic, including historically high unemployment. Michigan Republican Party Chairman Laura Cox criticized Peters for refusing to do his part in the crisis, especially after discovering that Peters has grown wealthy in Washington. Peters has doubled his wealth during his time in Washington, D.C. *According to his financial disclosure statement, Peters receives a salary of $174,000 as a U.S. Senator. Additionally, Peters’ financial disclosure reports that Peters’ wealth went from $1,752,562 to $3,864,093. “While Michiganders struggle at home, Gary Peters is growing wealthy in Washington. After 30 years as a politician, Gary Peters’ bank account proves he knows how to make politics work for him. But what Michigan needs right now is a senator who puts service to others first. That is why we need John James in the U.S. Senate,” said Cox. On Friday, national unemployment numbers showed Michigan had 17 of the 25 highest unemployment county rates in the nation. More >

During her Friday press conference, Governor Gretchen Whitmer stated she would not accept an invitation to testify before the state legislature’s bipartisan Joint Select Committee on the COVID-19 Pandemic. Whitmer has received criticism from the legislature and residents across the state for her lack of transparency throughout the process of shutting down and reopening the state. During her 2018 campaign, Whitmer vowed to open the Executive Office of the Governor to Freedom of Information Act inquires but has yet to do so. In addition, as COVID-19 took its toll on Michigan, Governor Whitmer issued an Executive Order allowing the body responsible for executing the records requests for other state agencies, to take as long as they deemed necessary. The move received steep criticism from the New York Times editorial board. “Governor Whitmer has broken her promises to the people of Michigan, and has made it clear that her office has no real accountability to the people of our state.” said Laura Cox, Michigan Republican Party Chairman. “The people’s representatives in the state legislature should be afforded the same opportunity that Congress was in asking Governor Whitmer how and why she made the decisions she did during this crisis – decisions that have changed millions of lives. Michiganders deserve answers.” More >

John James Calls Movement to Defund Police “Insane” As protests across Michigan and the nation called for defunding the police, Gary Peters was silent while John James strongly opposed the movement to defund the police. Democrat Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib has supported the defund the police movement along with several protests this weekend, including Lansing, Kalamazoo, Detroit, and other cities “As a former Customs Agent, I know how critical police are to safeguarding our communities. George Floyd’s murder was a terrible tragedy and I am proud of the law enforcement reform passed by the Michigan Senate as a start. While there are bad individuals within the police, the vast majority are brave and honorable men and women who selflessly sign up to safeguard our communities. We need to support those who protect Michigan neighborhoods. Calls to defund the police are outrageous and Gary Peters needs to answer whether he supports this extreme movement. Peters’ silence is deafening.” said Laura Cox. John James came out right away in an interview with Mlive denouncing proposals to defund police departments as “insane," Earlier this week, the James campaign released 2 new ads looking to unify Michigan in the wake of George Floyd’s death. More >

From mishandling our state’s nursing home crisis to defying her own executive order regarding social distancing, Michiganders are continuing to witness the disastrous collateral damage caused by Governor Whitmer’s COVID-19 response. On Tuesday, The Detroit News reported that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) had counted more COVID-19 cases in Michigan’s nursing homes than the state was reporting. Governor Whitmer has come under fire for her policies of sending positive COVID-19 patients to facilities with negative patients and workers – despite the field hospital at TCF center in Detroit remaining largely empty. The next day, it was also reported by The Detroit News, that the state had rejected assistance from Detroit-based Quicken Loans to assist Michigan’s unemployment insurance agency. Tens of thousands of Michiganders have found themselves unemployed since March when Governor Whitmer first started issuing her over 100 executive orders. There are still Michiganders today, who are out of work and have yet to receive any unemployment assistance from Whitmer’s Administration. On Thursday, Whitmer defied her own order on social distancing to march with protestors in Highland Park even though she had been critical of people protesting against her excessive orders during the COVID crisis, and insinuated that they were risking the health and safety of thousands of Michiganders. “Every action Gretchen Whitmer takes is politically motivated, and Michiganders have become collateral damage in the Governor’s quest to elevate her national profile,” said Laura Cox, Michigan Republican Party Chairman. “The people of Michigan deserve a full-time Governor, not... More >

This week, Michigan Democrat Party Chair Lavora Barnes made inflammatory comments in light of the tragic and unnecessary death of George Floyd, calling all those who support President Trump “racist.” Barnes then doubled down on her comments Monday night, but after enduring days of criticism, the embattled Democrat chair sought to walk back the comments on Thursday. When asked whether she thought the millions of Michiganders who supported the President were racist, Barnes responded, “I don’t. And what I said, very clearly, is that if you’re supporting this Donald Trump, who is engaging in racist activities, then you are a racist. I was not in any way suggesting that having voted for him in the past makes you a racist.” The comments from the Michigan Democrat Party Chair come despite President Trump’s historic record of achievement for the African American community, and the Democrat party’s presumptive nominee, Joe Biden, making racially insensitive comments just days earlier. This was no surprise, however, as Joe Biden has a long-standing record of completely out of touch comments that the Michigan Democrat Party has glossed over. In 1977, then-Senator Joe Biden worried that de-segregation would cause his children to grow up “in a racial jungle.” In 1987, Presidential Candidate Biden boasted about receiving an award from George Wallace and said Delaware was on the South's side in the Civil War. In 1994, Senator Biden was on “the front line” of advocating for policies that led to mass incarceration and referred to black youths as “predators.” In 2012, then-Vice President Biden... More >

45-Cent Gas Tax Would Not Have Covered Dam Repairs This morning, the Detroit News revealed that, contrary to claims by Governor Gretchen Whitmer, the governor’s 45-cent gas tax would not have provided any money to repair dams in the state of Michigan. On May 21, after devastating flooding caused thousands of Midland residents to flee their homes, Whitmer indicated that her $1.9 billion tax hike would have provided funding, not only for roads, but for other infrastructure improvements - including repairs to dams. In reality, there was no such funding in the proposal. "While the people of Midland suffered from one of the worst disasters in our state's history, Governor Whitmer twisted the facts to make herself look better to Joe Biden and the national media." said Laura Cox, Michigan Republican Party Chairman. Cox continued, "The facts are clear, Whitmer's claim that her 45-cent gas tax would have addressed dam repairs is simply untrue, and any statement to the contrary is just another damn lie." More >