Downriver Today

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has announced a $5.6 billion COVID-19 pandemic recovery plan for Michigan, calling for more corporate handouts, according to the Mackinac Center for Public Policy. 

Among Whitmer's plans is to revive the Good Jobs for Michigan (GJFM) program.

The governor's desire to expand corporate handout programs should not be a shock due to her legislative past. "What would be a surprise is if these handouts worked this time around," Michael LaFaive of the Mackinac Center wrote in an op-ed. "Research shows that they are not effective and come at great taxpayer expense."

LaFaive adds that Congress should "reject her call to renew GJFM, along with other corporate and industrial welfare programs."

The Mackinac Center has traced the corporate-welfare votes of over 500 lawmakers all the way back to 2001. The center has also rated each politician based on the total dollar value of subsidies authorized by each vote cast.

During her time in the Michigan House and the Senate as a legislator, Whitmer voted to approve more than $4.5 billion in corporate handouts. That is 98.1% of the company subsidy programs that were presented to her in the Legislature.