By: Governor Gretchen Whitmer
June marks the start of summer, a time of growth and opportunity. That’s why at the end of May, I outlined my top priorities to build a better Michigan: bring an advanced chip manufacturing plant to Michigan, fix our state and local roads for the long-term, and ensure every kid can read. It will be hard, but we can do hard things.
I am proud of our progress in education: we secured free breakfast and lunch for all 1.4 million students, boosted high school graduation rates, and closed the funding gap between our public schools. But we still have a lot of work to do, especially when it comes to literacy. Today, only 24% of fourth graders in Michigan can read proficiently. That is unacceptable. Literacy is critical to academic, physical, and financial well-being. Our education policy needs to be precisely targeted to ensure every kid in Michigan can read. Together, we can get our kids back on track for the bright futures they deserve.
Since I took office, we have reversed decades of disinvestment and made a lot of progress fixing roads and bridges across Michigan. My Rebuilding Michigan bond plan has made a big difference for our most economically-critical state roads and bridges, but it is only a temporary solution to a long-term problem. We need to fix our local roads too. Michiganders deserve to be able to get to work, school, or run errands without getting a flat tire or a cracked windshield. I am grateful to the bipartisan engagement on this issue so far this year, and together, I know we can fix the roads while keeping a balanced budget. We can do hard things.
Finally, we’re working to bring an advanced chip manufacturing plant to Michigan. As we all know, semiconductor chips are essential to almost every piece of technology that makes life possible—phones, computers, cars, and appliances. That is why I believe we must be able to design and build these chips right here in Michigan, top to bottom. To do so, we need to build a semiconductor fabrication manufacturing facility, commonly called a fab, in Michigan. A fab would create thousands of good-paying careers in everything from construction to cutting-edge science. Building a fab is a monumental, multigenerational task and benefit families for decades to come while guaranteeing that Michigan stays on the cutting edge of new technology. It will be hard, but we can do hard things. I will keep working with state and federal partners to fight for a fab and move Michigan forward.
We have accomplished so much as a state in these past six and a half years, but we are not done yet. Let’s continue to do the hard things and invest in smart, long-term solutions so more individuals, families, and businesses can ‘make it’ here in Michigan.