Imposter Scams Take on New Forms
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Protecting farmers from destructive invasive pests
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May Update from State Representative Donni Steele
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Groundbreaking on New $28 Million Facility at Selfridge
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 15, 2023 Contact: [email protected]
Gov. Whitmer Joins Federal, State, and Local Officials for Groundbreaking on New $28 Million Facility at Selfridge New hangar to create hundreds of jobs, build on year-long campaign to secure mission at Selfridge
HARRISON TOWNSHIP, Mich. – Today, Governor Gretchen Whitmer joined federal, state, and local leaders to break ground on a new 41,900 square foot facility that will transform two hangars into a new hangar equipped for fighter maintenance. The new facility will house maintenance on the main level and leadership/staff offices and classrooms on the second floor.
“This new hangar will create hundreds of good-paying jobs and shore up Selfridge’s military readiness,” said Governor Gretchen Whitmer. “We have been working with bipartisan and private sector partners to make more investments in Selfridge by making critical infrastructure upgrades, and we will keep fighting to bring home a new fighter mission. Selfridge is an anchor of Macomb County and an economic driver for Michigan’s defense industry. Let’s keep working together for Selfridge.”
Selfridge is a Joint Military Community housing four thousand families from all branches. In 2021, Sen. Gary Peters secured $28 million for a new development at Selfridge that would equip Michigan with the tools to be the ideal location for the next future fighter mission.
“We are grateful to Gov. Whitmer, Senator Peters and our federal and state delegation for their leadership and for working with us to continue to invest in Selfridge Air National Guard Base (SANG),” said U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Paul D. Rogers, adjutant general and director of the Michigan Department of Military and Veterans Affairs. “This investment clearly demonstrates Michigan’s commitment to SANG, its support for developing future capabilities and advancing innovation and delivering on our mission to maintain our military readiness and support our national defense.”
“Today’s visit shows our delegation’s united, bipartisan support of – and staunch commitment to – the future of Selfridge Air National Guard Base,” said U.S Sen. Gary Peters, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction and Veterans Affairs. “It was exciting to participate in the groundbreaking for the new hangar and accompanying maintenance facilities, after securing $28 million in federal funding to make the upgrades possible. I’m proud knowing this investment will help advance Selfridge’s defense capabilities and capacity to host a new fighter jet mission.”
“Selfridge Air National Guard Base and the men and women who serve here play a vital role in keeping our state and our nation safe. Today’s groundbreaking is yet another example of our delegation’s continued strategy to position Selfridge into the future,” said U.S Sen. Debbie Stabenow. “We are fully committed to securing a new fighter mission at Selfridge.”
“Michigan’s state and federal leaders are united behind ensuring Selfridge’s mission ready status,” said U.S Rep. Hillary Scholten (MI-3). “Our state is home to one of our nation’s most cutting-edge air national guard bases, and the hangar we broke ground on today will only cement that status. West Michigan supports the critical work of our service members and is committed to leading future fighter missions here at Selfridge.”
“Selfridge Air National Guard Base is critical to our national security because of its strategic location on our border, and it has broad bipartisan support across our Congressional delegation and at all levels of government,” said U.S Rep. Debbie Dingell (MI-6). “We remain unified in our commitment to securing federal investments to support advanced generation fighter capability in Michigan. The groundbreaking today is another important step in our continued efforts to ensure the Air Force can benefit from all of Selfridge’s unique capabilities.”
“I’m proud of Michigan’s commitment to national defense and military, said U.S Rep. Shri Thanedar (MI-13). “The new fighter jet hangar at Selfridge Air National Guard Base is a testament to our unwavering support. As a member of the Michigan delegation, I’ll continue to secure critical military investments for our state and support our brave men and women in uniform.”
Selfridge Background Selfridge, an ideal training space, provides access to the largest military airspace complex east of the Mississippi River, hosts units from every component of the U.S. military, is located on an international border, and is joint integrated with the National All-Domain Warfighting Center. Launched in Governor Whitmer’s first term, Selfridge’s Kelly Johnson Joint All-Domain Innovation Center leverages Michigan’s research universities, booming defense industry, and engineering, cyber, and technological expertise to provide a premier venue for collaboration in direct support of the National Defense Strategy.
Economically, Selfridge boasts an estimated $850 million in economic impact state-wide, affecting approximately 5,000 military and civilian support personnel. Selfridge is anchored with a strong and vibrant Base Community Council that strengthens the relationship between Southeast Michigan’s civilian and military communities.
Investing in Selfridge Infrastructure Last year’s bipartisan, balanced budget that Governor Whitmer signed into law included a $6.1 million investment in the base to upgrade critical infrastructure. In her budget proposal this year, the Governor recommended an additional $11 million investment in Selfridge. The infrastructure investments into Selfridge secured and proposed by Governor Whitmer and bipartisan allies in the Michigan Legislature would reduce costs for the U.S. Air Force by $100 million.
Fighting for Selfridge Mission Governor Whitmer and a bipartisan group of allies and private sector partners has spent more the last year making the case for additional U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) investments in Michigan. This includes replacing the current A-10 fighter mission at Selfridge.
The Governor has maintained close contact with Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall and his team and is working with Republicans and Democrats in the Michigan Congressional Delegation and Selfridge community on this important issue. Michigan hosted the Secretary during two separate visits last summer showcasing the state as a premier destination for Air Force and DoD investment. The Governor also met virtually and in person with U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks to continue advocating for a fighter jet replacement for Selfridge’s A-10s.
Michigan’s International Defense Impact Earlier this month, Governor Whitmer visited Michigan service members stationed in Latvia. Michigan’s defense presence has an impact around the world and must be secure in state to support international missions.
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Whitmer Takes Action to Help Michiganders Save Money
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 11, 2023 Contact: [email protected]
Gov. Whitmer Takes Action to Help Michiganders Save Money, Stay Covered During Medicaid Eligibility Redetermination Process Executive Directive Instructs State of Michigan Departments to Help Michiganders Who May Lose Medicaid Coverage Due to Recent Federal Legislation
LANSING, Mich. — Today, Governor Gretchen Whitmer issued an executive directive instructing all State of Michigan departments to work together to lower health care costs by helping Michiganders keep Medicaid coverage or find affordable health insurance as Medicaid eligibility renewals begin again this summer. This Directive builds on the work already being done by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) and the Department of Insurance and Financial Services (DIFS) to ensure all affected Michiganders have the information they need to stay covered and save money.
“One of my administration’s top priorities has been ensuring that every Michigander has access to quality, affordable health insurance,” said Governor Whitmer. “As the redetermination process plays out, we will build on efforts by MDHHS and DIFS to help families stay covered and save money. Their proactive efforts have given us a strong foundation, and now every state department has a role to play. Let’s use every resource available to us to make people aware of the reinstated federal Medicaid eligibility requirements and help affected Michiganders maintain access to affordable health care.”
“MDHHS will continue our ongoing proactive efforts to ensure Michigan residents who are eligible for Medicaid coverage remain enrolled. We appreciate the assistance from our partners at other state government departments,” said MDHHS Director Elizabeth Hertel. “Providing families with affordable health care coverage is a top priority.”
“DIFS is committed to working with MDHHS and our other state partners to help Michiganders who no longer qualify for Medicaid get the affordable, comprehensive health insurance they need,” said DIFS Director Anita Fox. “DIFS stands ready to answer questions about purchasing a Marketplace health insurance plan or finding other options, such as employer-sponsored health insurance. Call DIFS at 877-999-6442, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. or visit Michigan.gov/StayCovered to learn more.”
Nationwide, Medicaid beneficiaries will have to renew their coverage to comply with federal legislation. This may result in thousands of Michiganders transitioning away from Medicaid. In Michigan, annual renewals will begin again in June 2023 and will continue through May 2024. During this period, MDHHS will review the Medicaid eligibility of more than 3.1 million Michiganders, and those who are no longer eligible for benefits must take action to maintain healthcare coverage to protect themselves and their families.
To help Michiganders through this process, actions taken by the state so far include:
Effective immediately, Governor Whitmer’s executive directive instructs all state departments to cooperate with and assist MDHHS and DIFS as required, including working together to distribute information to Michiganders regarding the redetermination process and how to renew eligibility, and sharing necessary data to conduct outreach, subject to all applicable protections.
If you are a Medicaid beneficiary, you should take the following steps to prepare for redetermination:
For more information about Medicaid eligibility renewals, visit Michigan.gov/
To view the full executive directive, click the link below: |
OC Economy Looking to Trend Positive
Oakland County Economy Looking to Trend Positive, as Recovery From Pandemic Continues
Ann Arbor, Michigan – Oakland County’s economy is expected to return to normal this year and has a “solidly positive outlook” over the next few years, according to University of Michigan economists.
Oakland, one of the state’s most populous counties and among the nation’s most prosperous, is expected to see job gains over the next three years, bringing its payroll jobs count back to pre-pandemic levels in the second quarter of 2025 and 1.2% higher by the end of that year.
In its annual forecast of the Oakland County economy, the U-M Research Seminar in Quantitative Economics predicts the number of jobs will grow by 1.4% this year, 1.3% in 2024 and 1.6% in 2025. The local labor force is expected to grow more quickly than the number of employed residents, which puts upward pressure on the jobless rate this fall and the first half of 2024.
The positive outlook the economists provide in the forecast would follow what they describe as an economic “mixed bag” for 2022. The county’s job growth through the third quarter of last year lagged Michigan as a whole, with Oakland recovering 82% of the jobs it lost at the start of the pandemic and the state recovering 90%. They are also concerned by the county’s resident employment count declining by nearly 8,000 in the 12-month period ending in February 2023.
The recent data has been “puzzling,” the economists say, and could be the result of “commuting, an increase in multiple job holdings by residents or a decline in self-employment.”
“Despite the challenges of the past year, we are optimistic that 2023 will feature a return to normalcy in Oakland County’s economy with job growth relatively widespread across industries, even as the national economy slows,” said Gabriel Ehrlich, director of RSQE.
Overall, Oakland County has fewer lower-income residents and more upper-income residents than Michigan. Countywide, 20% of residents live in low-income households, compared to 30% of the state. The share of county residents living in higher-income households (28%) is much larger than that of the state (17%).
Still, the economists say, the prosperity is uneven. As of 2021, the area containing Pontiac and Waterford Township had an average household income after adjusting for household size that was less than one-half the average in the area containing Birmingham, Bloomfield Hills and Bloomfield Township.
They also note stark differences in incomes by race and ethnicity: 18% of the county’s non-Hispanic and white residents lived in households classified as lower income in 2021 and 31% lived in upper income households. Those proportions were nearly reversed for Black and Hispanic residents.
One encouraging sign in the forecast is that wages are expected to grow more quickly in the county’s lower-wage industries than the higher-wage industries during the next three years. That, they say, should go some way toward lessening wage inequality. The county’s jobless rate is expected to average 2.7% in the first part of this year before rising to 3% by the end of it. The economists forecast the rate to rise modestly in the first half of next year as the nation enters a mild recession, dampening the local job market.
The forecast calls for the county’s unemployment rate to fall from 3.4% in mid-2024 to 2.8% by the end of 2025, compared with a projected state jobless rate of 3.9% at the end of that period. If the forecast holds, the county’s rate would be roughly half of a percentage point below its average right before the pandemic.
The economists say the return to pre-pandemic labor force levels reflects the strength of the county’s economy, though they caution that labor shortages “will be an ongoing fact of life for the foreseeable future in southeastern Michigan.”
“We believe Oakland County’s strong overall performance in these measures suggest it is well-positioned for the future despite the current challenges facing the local and national economies,” the economists say in the report. “The combination of an educated populace, a high share of managerial and professional jobs and an attractive standard of living should provide a solid foundation for economic prosperity over our forecast period and in the years to come.”
The 38th annual U-M forecast of Oakland County’s economy was hosted by the county’s Department of Economic Development.