Roads
Let’s finish fixing those damn roads.
We’ve come a long way since I took office thanks to my Rebuilding Michigan plan that I launched in 2020. It’s a five-year, $3.5 billion bond plan to fix our busiest and most economically critical highways and bridges. It’s made a huge difference already, especially in Metro Detroit. The flex route on I-96, I-275 and I-75 in Oakland County and the full rebuild of I-696 are just some of the big projects that will make millions of trips every year smoother and safer. I’m especially proud that these are long-term upgrades. We aren’t just replacing the top layer of these highways. We are truly rebuilding them with the right mix and materials, so they are built to last. In total, we have fixed more than 23,000 lane miles of road and 1,600 bridges since I took office.
But we have to finish the job with a bipartisan roads deal this year that focuses on local roads too.
We know that our roads are still in bad shape because of decades of disinvestment, especially our local roads. In 1997, Governor Engler raised the gas tax, but it was short of what the business community and both parties in the legislature knew we needed to solve the problem. By 2007, road conditions briefly improved, but by 2012, they had deteriorated once again. Of the $2.85 billion raised between 1997 and 2012, only 17% went to major road and bridge repairs. In 2015, Governor Snyder passed a $1.2 billion funding package—what he called a “down payment” to begin addressing the gap.
In 2018, I ran to finish the job and fix the damn roads. After going to all 83 counties and meeting people from all walks of life, what I heard everywhere was that the fundamentals were broken. People wanted their government to provide certainty. The certainty that the roads would get fixed so they could get to work, drop their kids off at school, and run errands without popping a tire or cracking their windshield.
Right now, not all of the revenue collected by the gas tax you pay at the pump goes towards fixing our roads. It should. Speaker Hall agrees that every penny drivers pay at the pump should go towards the roads. And we both agree that we can cut red tape to find savings. I’ll keep working with Republicans and Democrats in the legislature to work together on a bipartisan road plan to fix the damn roads without slashing vital funding for public schools, safety, or health, or forcing commuters to pay more. I look forward to negotiating with Speaker Hall, Majority Leader Brinks, and others in the state legislature to get this done before the summer.
 Manufacturing
When Michigan builds, Michigan wins. When Michigan builds, workers have certainty that they can get a good-paying job, and families feel secure enough to put down roots in our communities.
To make more stuff in America, we need a coordinated, long-term industrial policy so businesses know that, when they invest in Michigan, they can be certain they will succeed.
Last week, I delivered my “Build, America, Build” speech in DC laying out my bipartisan vision to work with our federal partners to grow our economy and bring manufacturing back home. From building semiconductor chips to ships and planes, Michigan has the potential to lead the future of advanced manufacturing if we work together. Despite how divided our politics may seem, Democrats and Republicans can agree that we need to incentivize domestic manufacturing. This consensus solidified during the pandemic as we all lived through a global supply chain crisis. It showed all of us just how fragile some of our systems are.
Over the past few years, Michigan has taken action to bring certainty back to our economy. We have broken ground on big clean energy projects and battery plants. We are restarting a nuclear power plant and restoring countless brownfields. We have cut ribbons at expansions by companies up and down the semiconductor supply chain too.
As we face increased competition from foreign countries, we need to focus on advancing manufacturing, because let’s be honest, China is catching up. They are dominating in shipbuilding and leading in semiconductors, electric vehicles, and batteries. We cannot afford to give up and let them own the finish line.
As governor, I am focused on lowering costs and making sure everyone has a path to a good-paying, in-demand career. We must also widen the base of companies who can help us build the future of mobility. Thanks to Michigan’s suggestions and leadership, the Department of Energy rolled out a domestic manufacturing conversion grant program a few years ago. They saw that we need to continue to bring manufacturing jobs back to Michigan. I discussed the same thing with President Trump last week. I will keep fighting for our automakers and suppliers and work with anyone to help them grow right here in Michigan.
Tariffs have been creating a whiplash in the economy. When tariffs are used as a blunt tool, without a clear end goal, they wreak havoc and create uncertainty. Businesses need certainty to make big investments in Michigan. If businesses are uncertain, Michigan will lose jobs and our economy will suffer. Trump’s tariff strategy also creates uncertainty for Michigan families by jacking up the costs of everyday expenses like groceries and energy.
We face big challenges, but Michiganders are resilient. Together, we will provide certainty to our workers, businesses, and communities and build a brighter future for the state we all love.
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