Gretchen Whitmer urged bipartisan cooperation. Michigan lawmakers quickly clashed

• In keynote speech, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer says Michigan can do ‘hard things’ if Democrats and Republicans work together 
• State House and Senate leaders undercut that sentiment at a follow up panel filled with partisan jabs and insults
• It’s believed to be the the first time the four House and Senate leaders have met in-person since the start of the legislative year

MACKINAC ISLAND — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer made a plea for political civility on Thursday in a roughly 20-minute keynote speech at the Mackinac Policy Conference, pointing to President Donald Trump’s recent commitment to Selfridge Air National Guard Base as an example of bipartisan cooperation.

“We cannot give in to the instant gratification that comes from cheap, divisive, anger-driven politics,” said Whitmer, a Democrat who has faced criticism within her party for her willingness to work with the Republican president. 

“We need leadership that provides certainty, executes a clear long-term strategy, instead of lurching from self-inflicted wounds to embarrassing controversy week after week.”

While Whitmer didn’t mention any Michigan lawmakers by name, her comments appeared directed to the state’s divided Legislature, where partisan bickering and name-calling has ground productivity to a near halt, resulting in one of the slowest legislative starts in the last two decades.

The governor used her keynote speech to urge lawmakers to reach across the aisle to get “hard things” done.

That includes finalizing a long-term road funding plan — she's proposed a $3 billion combination of targeted tax hikes and undefined spending cuts — which has vexed Whitmer and other officials from both major parties for years.

Whitmer also reiterated her desire for Michigan to land a massive semiconductor fabrication plant before term limits force her out of office at the end of next year, an effort she has said will require both state and federal cooperation.

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"We all know that citizens across the political spectrum are frustrated — broken promises, stagnating wages, increasing polarization leads to people listening to the loudest and angriest voice in the room," the governor said. 

"Michiganders deserve better."

Legislative leaders clash

Whitmer’s comments came amid continued discord over the annual state budget process. House Speaker Matt Hall, R-Richland Township, and Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks, D-Grand Rapids, both said this week they are skeptical about passing a balanced budget by a self-imposed July 1 deadline.

That discord continued moments after the governor’s keynote address as Brinks and Hall joined Democratic House Minority Leader Ranjeev Puri of Canton, and Republican Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt of Porter Township for a panel discussion at the Mackinac conference. 

It’s believed to be the first time this year the four legislative leaders have met in-person, which did not go unaddressed. In the opening minutes of the conversation, Puri turned to Hall, asking to schedule an in-person meeting in Lansing and break the seeming stalemate.

“We have our phones right here,” Puri said. “Let’s pull them out, let's get a meeting on the books. We’re back in Lansing next Tuesday … so if the speaker can agree to meet, we can start the dialogue and then start working for the people.” 

As Puri spoke, he pulled out his phone and seemingly flashed Hall his calendar, telling him, “I have a 9 am and an 11 open on Tuesday.”

But without missing a beat, Hall shook his head, telling Puri, “I’m just saying — I don’t need to. We’re getting things done. … You only bring to the table negative ideas.”

“We're working with Democrats that want to get stuff done, that have positive solutions,” Hall said, acknowledging that while he’s “said a lot of negative things” he also comes to the table “with positive solutions.” 

“You see that with our bipartisan roads plan, where Governor Whitmer said I'm the only legislative leader with the guts and the brains — that includes you guys — to put forward a roads plan and get it through a chamber,” he added.

‘Matt, that’s not a compliment’

Hall also criticized Brinks for failing to take up legislation to create a public safety violence prevention fund — aimed at giving money to communities based on their crime rates — accusing Senate Democrats of “screwing around with it” and “making it worse” after it passed the House in April.

Not long after, Hall and Brinks ended up in a back-and-forth: He accused the Senate of passing an unbalanced budget and simply “tacking 4% on top” of last year’s spending plan. She firmly denied his claims.

It wasn’t long before Puri jumped back in, accusing Hall of caring more about his polling numbers — Hall opened the discussion by touting results from a recent survey of “Lansing insiders” — than policy.

“I don’t get my validation by pleasing lobbyists,” said Puri, asserting the poll predominantly surveyed lobbyists in Lansing. “My validation is waking up to a family that loves me.”

Asked by a moderator to compliment his colleagues, Hall praised Brinks for negotiating changes to court-ordered minimum wage and sick leave laws before pivoting back to criticism. 

“What you saw on the Republican side was leadership,” Hall said, noting that most of the “no” votes on the package came from Democrats. “We don’t see that on the Democratic side. The Democratic side is very fractured.”

“Matt,” Brinks interrupted, “that’s not a compliment.”

Hall waved her off. “It is.”