Democratic Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer vetoed a bill on Tuesday which would have extended unemployment benefits for workers affected by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, MLive reports.
The bill would have provided $220 million in funding to the Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund, which would have pooled funds to help businesses provide financial support for laid-off workers. The trust fund had $4.6 billion to support workers at the beginning of the pandemic, but has since been depleted to $864 million.
Whitmer thinks she is a tyrant and the people of Michigan are her subjects, not her constituents. She is a hired official. She is not an omnipotent ruler. Open your businesses. Take your lives back. https://t.co/dolxQqboZU
— Ellie Bufkin (@ellie_bufkin) December 29, 2020
Michigan Republican Party Chairwoman Laura Cox criticized the veto. "First, Governor Whitmer put people out of work with her shutdown orders," Cox said. "Then, through her administration's incompetence, it became almost impossible for out-of-work Michiganders to receive unemployment benefits."
"Now, Whitmer has vetoed extending aid to workers even though her draconian shutdowns continue. Clearly, the 'science' Whitmer is following doesn't include basic economics, and Michigan families are paying the price," Cox finished.
The $220 million was part of a much larger, $465 million relief package which passed the Michigan state legislature with bipartisan support. Whitmer vetoed 11 items within the bill, eliminating over three quarters of the funding approved by the legislature.
The items which were not vetoed by Whitmer include $55 million for small businesses, $3.5 million for the entertainment industry, and $45 million in direct payments to unemployed workers. Despite vetoing an expansion of the unemployment trust fund she extended state unemployment insurance by six weeks.
Whitmer defended her decision to veto the unemployment insurance funding, arguing that Republicans did not negotiate them with her office beforehand.
"To be very clear, this will not impact individual workers," Whitmer claimed. "General Fund dollars have got to be used to fund essential services, like vaccines and PPE not to give tax breaks to big businesses right now."
The Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund is typically paid into by employers to support unemployed workers. According to Whitmer, the government dumping money into the fund would effectively serve as a tax break for the businesses which ordinarily pay into it.
Join and support independent free thinkers!
We’re independent and can’t be cancelled. The establishment media is increasingly dedicated to divisive cancel culture, corporate wokeism, and political correctness, all while covering up corruption from the corridors of power. The need for fact-based journalism and thoughtful analysis has never been greater. When you support The Post Millennial, you support freedom of the press at a time when it's under direct attack. Join the ranks of independent, free thinkers by supporting us today for as little as $1.
Remind me next month
To find out what personal data we collect and how we use it, please visit our Privacy Policy
