State Rep. Mike Hoadley today said Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s proposals and priorities align more with a national political agenda than the needs of Michigan families following her State of the State address on Wednesday night.

Whitmer laid out plans for two years of free community college for all high school graduates, $1.4 billion in housing earmarks, additional green energy incentives for electric vehicles and other costly, big government ventures. These plans come on the heels of a state budget for the current fiscal year that spent over $80 billion.

“The speech covered an extreme list of radical social policies and tallied the taxpayer dollars big government would ideally be spending,” said Hoadley, of Au Gres. “Affordability is a big problem in our state. It is too expensive to live in Michigan, and families are struggling to make ends meet. I would have liked to hear more concrete plans that would make our state affordable without taxpayers footing the bill. States we are competing with for jobs and residents have lower taxes and less government in people’s lives. There was little in this speech that sought to follow that model for success.”

Hoadley outlined several concerns with the speech and how certain initiatives will impact people across northern Michigan:

Abortion – Whitmer touted the partisan, extreme “Reproductive Health Act” passed into law by Democrats that went beyond what voters wanted when they passed Proposal 3. The RHA eliminated basic health and safety standards and other common-sense, longstanding protections that were in place under Roe v. Wade. Hoadley said Democrats would use the move to pass other extreme and unpopular proposals.

Out of control spending – Hoadley said Michigan had a historic opportunity last year to make strong, targeted investments in local infrastructure, improve success in the classroom and increase public safety. Instead, Democrats frittered away a $9 billion state surplus and spent over $80 billion for things like pools, solar farms and opera houses that don’t address real priorities.

Economic development – The governor’s own population council recently highlighted Michigan’s lack of a coordinated economic growth plan. The state ranks 39^th in personal incomes and 49^th in population growth. Hoadley was critical of additional spending plans that miss the mark, including housing subsidies that do nothing to solve artificially inflated costs due to prevailing wage.

Energy – Hoadley underscored green energy laws the governor highlighted from the past year – mandates that will increase electric rates, shut down existing power plants and make the state’s electric grid even more unstable than it currently is. Democrats and the governor also stripped local control of green energy siting away from communities, giving that power to the Michigan Public Service Commission.

Roads – Beneath the governor’s lane mile tally for repairs on large, state-owned highways, the budget last year sent no new dollars to local road agencies – shortchanging the infrastructure people use every day. The governor announced a plan to take another $700 million in loans for infrastructure that will put the state further in debt down the line.

School funding – Despite the largest educational investment in Michigan’s history, more thorough plans are needed to ensure kids don’t fall further behind in the classroom. The governor’s population council reported that seven out of 10 Michigan students can’t read or do math proficiently, and Michigan ranks 43^rd in high school graduation and 44^th in SAT scores. Hoadley said it is critical to bolster standards going forward instead of limiting them.

Taxes – Hoadley said many people across northern Michigan are still struggling under the weight of inflation and a stagnant economy. He has consistently fought for hardworking people and their families to keep more of what they are bringing in, instead of being asked to foot an even higher state government budget. Democrats worked to raise the income tax this year for workers and small business owners to help support a balanced, bloated budget.

“There were very few real plans in this address to help make life more affordable for people in Michigan – just government handouts,” Hoadley said. “That isn’t sustainable, and it costs taxpayers at a time when they can’t afford it.”