In an attempt to send a message to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D), Michigan’s Republican-led Senate is refusing to confirm her new appointees.
“The state Senate rejected 13 of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s appointees Wednesday to ‘send a signal that [Republicans are] displeased with [the] governor’s actions and refusal to listen [or] work with [the] Legislature,'” first reported by Michigan Advance.
The GOP Senate has reportedly been mulling this move for a while, miffed by the way Whitmer has handled COVID-19.
“Earlier this month, Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Jim Stamas (R-Midland) called on Senate Advice and Consent Committee Chair Aric Nesbitt (R-Lawton) to reject all of Whitmer’s appointees until ‘Whitmer and her administration have ended all of the shutdowns and reopened the state,'” according to Michigan Advance.
Michigan has seen some of the nation’s most strict COVID-19 regulations, forcing bars and restaurants to beg Whitmer to let them reopen earlier this month.
In one executive order, she even banned Michiganders from gathering privately in their own homes.
“[A]ll individuals currently living within the State of Michigan are ordered to stay at home or at their place of residence. Subject to the same exceptions, all public and private gatherings of any number of people occurring among persons not part of a single household are prohibited,” the order said.
In November, three Michigan Republican lawmakers introduced a resolution calling for Whitmer’s impeachment.
“She has exceeded her constitutional authority, violated the constitutional rights of the people of Michigan, issued orders that are not in the best interests of the people of this state, and used the Pandemic as an opportunity to reward political allies,” the resolution, put forth by Republican Reps. Beau LaFave (District 108), Matt Maddock (District 44) and Daire Rendon (District 103).
Though Republicans hold both chambers of the Michigan legislature, Republican House Speaker Lee Chatfield (District 107) shut down the calls for impeachment.
“It’s no secret that I disagree with a lot of what this governor has done,” he said. “I’ve even taken the governor to court and won, because of how she dealt with COVID-19, but Republicans are not the party that impeach someone because we disagree with them.”
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Pete D’Abrosca is a contributor at The Michigan Star and The Star News Network. Follow Pete on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
