LANSING, Mich. — State Sen. Lana Theis, R-Brighton, issued the following statement in reaction to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s State of the State address Wednesday night:
“Last year, just months before the coronavirus invaded Michigan, I said in response to Gov. Whitmer’s State of the State address that I was willing and ready to work with her, because our state is at its best when its leaders come together for the greater good and take on the hard work necessary to make our state a better place to live, study, work and raise our families.
“What ensued over the course of the year were the actions of a governor entirely unwilling to join forces in addressing and overcoming our shared challenges, including, and especially, responding to COVID-19 — with disastrous results. Her unilateral crusade led to the decimation of industries, businesses and jobs; a broken unemployment agency; a directionless education system; the unfortunate loss of life in our state’s nursing homes; and now a flailing plan to distribute COVID-19 vaccines, which will further delay the recovery.
“As I said a year ago, I reaffirm now: No one can go it alone. Now, more than ever, the times call for leadership, not divisiveness. That is what the people who hired us expect and deserve. My colleagues and I made many attempts over the past year to work with the governor and her administration to form a unified response to the virus. Our offers were rejected, and good public policy that would have helped the citizens of Michigan was vetoed.
“Yesterday, Senate Republicans unveiled our priorities for the year — goals that would lead to a healthier Michigan, build on our work to combat COVID-19 and lessen the economic impact of the governor’s shutdowns, including support for schools, workers and businesses. I am hopeful the governor sees now what she hasn’t previously — that she must engage and work with the Legislature to guide our state out of this dark winter and into brighter days.”
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