The Speaker of the House says a part of Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s budget is dead on arrival.
Whitmer presented her budget proposal this week. In it, she called for a 45 cent increase of the gas and diesel tax at the pump over time.
But Speaker Lee Chatfield says this proposal is not going anywhere, saying he's looking forward to "partnering and negotiating with this governor/ Unfortunately, the proposal that she put forward is a nonstarter for my caucus because the people in our district cannot afford it. So, the gas tax will not be raised 45 cents.”
A spokesperson for Whitmer says the governor is willing to have a serious conversation about all solutions that get 90-percent of the state’s roads to a good or fair condition.