Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) appeared Sunday on NBC’s’ “Meet the Press” to make excuses about why cases of COVID-19 in Michigan are soaring while they decline across most of the rest of the country.
“We’re now in a much different position,” Whitmer said. “On top of that, in the waning months, I have been sued by my Legislature. I have lost in a Republican-controlled Supreme Court. And I don’t have all of the exact same tools.”
Whitmer, who implemented some of the strictest COVID-19 lockdown measures of any governor last year, including an unprecedented ban on private gatherings, was stripped of her emergency powers by the State Supreme Court.
Despite that, she has kept control of the state’s pandemic response via the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS), an executive branch agency. She recently vetoed a bill that would have limited the power of MDHHS to issue mandates that last longer than 28 days without receiving the approval of the state legislature.
Despite having near-total power of pandemic policy, Whitmer claimed Sunday that she has “a smaller set of tools” to deal with the influx of COVID-19 cases. Many restrictions, including an indoor dining and activity limitations and mask mandates, remain in place.
Meanwhile, Michigan’s caseload is soaring, in stark contrast to other states like Texas and Florida, which are completely open for business, and have dropped their mask mandate policies.
“Michigan has led the nation in new cases per population for more than 15 days. Last week, the state reported record levels of COVID-19 hospitalizations and 47,284 new infections, a 20-week high,” The Detroit News reported.
Whitmer, an idolator of Dr. Anthony Fauci, who has led the United States’ pandemic response and insists on mask mandates and shutdowns even for people who have received the COVID-19 vaccine, has faced serious questions about her ability to lead throughout the pandemic.
Similar to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D), Whitmer is facing scrutiny over her policy to house infected COVID-19 patients in nursing home hubs. Fifty state lawmakers have asked for an investigation, but Attorney General Dana Nessel, also a Democrat, said she will not investigate.
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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].
