Last week, I delivered my “Road Ahead Address” at the Detroit Auto Show, outlining my approach to fight for Michigan’s auto industry, create





*January 23, 2025*



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road ahead

Dear Friend, 

Last week, I delivered my “Road Ahead Address” at the Detroit Auto Show, outlining my approach to fight for Michigan’s auto industry, create good-paying jobs, build relationships with our neighbors, and keep fixing the damn roads.

To get these things done, I’ll work with anyone who's serious about solving problems in Lansing or DC. I won’t go looking for fights, but I won’t back down from them either. I’m not here to play games. I’ve got a job to do.

Right now, there’s an ongoing, global competition between Michigan, China, and other states in the U.S. to build the future of the auto industry. To make sure we win, we need commonsense, bipartisan tools that create good-paying jobs and bring supply chains home. We must also find a fiscally responsible, sustainable solution to keep fixing the damn roads. Finally, we have to work with our Canadian neighbors to ensure tariffs don’t lead to higher costs for families and businesses.

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*"Click to watch the "Road Ahead Address" [ [link removed] ]"*

Together, let’s create Michigan jobs, fix Michigan roads, and grow Michigan’s economy.

Let’s roll up our sleeves and get to work.

Sincerely,

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Gretchen Whitmer

Governor 






Below is an outline of what I covered in my “Road Ahead Address."





Creating Jobs and Lowering Costs

Growing Michigan’s economy by bringing good-paying jobs home and putting money back in Michiganders’ pockets has remained a top priority of my administration since day one.

In my “Road Ahead Address,” I laid out our vision to continue stimulating economic development in Michigan through five specific goals:


* *Make it in Michigan Job Fund:* The fund will help Michigan close deals and move faster to secure big factories and engineering and technical centers. This change is critical to designing, engineering, and building the next generation of vehicles and will align Michigan with ten other states ensuring whatever folks are driving—ICE, hybrid, or EV—is made right here in Michigan, by Michigan workers.
* *HIRE Michigan: *A payroll tax will help more companies hire Michigan employees and the better they pay them, the more they save. This will incentivize companies to invest in Michigan, boosting our economy and creating high-paying jobs across the state.
* *Strategic site readiness program: *Creates space for future projects by easing the process to get businesses off the ground and create jobs in Michigan. Ensures companies can start building on day one.
* *Housing/Placemaking/Brownfields: *Building more housing and making cities and towns better places to live and work will drive down costs for buyers and renters while improving quality of life for families.
* *Transit: *By expanding and improving transit options of all kinds, Michigan can boost connectivity across areas with lots of industry.

*Fixing the Damn Roads*

Since I took office in 2019, we have invested over $19 billion in Michigan’s roads and bridges as part of my Rebuilding Michigan bond plan, fixing more than 23,000 lane miles of road and 1,600 bridges.

However, this plan phases out in 2025, and we need a long-term solution to continue fixing the damn roads, ensuring Michiganders and companies can depend on reliable infrastructure in our state. I will work with anyone to find a solution to road funding, and I call on the Michigan legislature to set aside their differences and negotiate a bipartisan roads deal in 2025.

As we look ahead, we must find a way to compromise and pass a bipartisan deal by looking for new and fair sources of revenue. Defunding public safety or public health is not the way to fix potholes. At the same time, fiscally responsible cuts will need to be a part of the solution to ensure Michigan can keep repairing and rebuilding our roads. 

*Future of Michigan-Canada Relationship*

Last month, I met with Ontario Premier Doug Ford, to affirm the important relationship between Michigan and our Canadian neighbors in Ontario. Detroit-Windsor is the busiest active border crossing in North America, driving more than a quarter of the $700 billion of annual trade between the U.S. and Canada.

Since taking office, I have cultivated a relationship with our Canadian neighbors through agreements on cross-border electric vehicle testing, supply chains, trade, and job creation. Over the last few years, Canadian businesses have announced 26 projects in Michigan, creating over 4,000 jobs. This vital partnership will help ensure the health of Michigan’s auto industry, protecting Michigan jobs and keeping costs low for people across the state. 

*Approach to Trump-Proposed Tariffs*

In my “Road Ahead Address,” I also laid out my position on the Trump administration’s proposed tariffs. It is crucial to our state’s economy that we take a judicious approach that will protect supply chains and job creation here in Michigan.

70% of all auto parts made in Michigan go to our neighbors. If the Trump-proposed tariffs were enacted as a one-size-fits-all policy, every time a Michigan auto part crosses a border and gets taxed, those costs will be passed on to Michiganders at the dealership. Crippling Michigan’s auto ecosystem will only help our biggest competitor: China. I am committed to working with our neighbors to the North to protect Michigan’s auto industry. That’s why my administration has been in active discussions with Canadian officials to explore ways we can collaborate on tariffs, lower the cost of doing business, and protect Michigan industry and consumers.

*Delivering for Michiganders Since 2019*

Since I took office, we have continued to deliver on the kitchen-table issues that matter to Michiganders. Over the past six years, I have signed more than 1,400 bipartisan bills and 6 balanced budgets; nearly 1,000 of those bills were signed under a Republican legislature. 

We got a lot done including:


* Cutting taxes by $1 billion for seniors and working families
* Securing nearly 40,000 auto jobs
* Building 50,000 units of housing
* Feeding students free breakfast and lunch at school
* Replacing tens of thousands of lead pipes
* Fixing nearly every major freeway

There is still much more to do, and I have high hopes for the road ahead. Together, let’s create Michigan jobs, fix Michigan roads, and grow Michigan’s economy.








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