LANSING, Mich. — After watching Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s 2025 State of the State address Wednesday night, Sen. Mark Huizenga, R-Walker, issued the following statement:
“I believe we need to continue working together, in a bipartisan manner, to deliver results for families across Michigan. I am concerned that an increase in taxes will put a further burden on West Michigan families who expect to have lower prices, a quality education, and safe roads.
“The governor has added nearly 4,000 full-time employees since taking office. Yet, instead of improving efficiency and cutting wasteful spending, her mantra is to raise taxes on trash collection, how many miles people drive, and licenses for hunting, fishing and boating.
“Our kids deserve the best education possible, and I applaud the governor for proposing an increase in per-pupil funding for all schools. The sad reality is our children are falling behind in the classroom, with Michigan falling to 44th in the country for fourth grade reading levels. This is why I support additional resources for students, parents and teachers. Parents deserve school transparency, educators deserve better pay, and children deserve access to assistance like scholarships and tutoring to help them succeed.
“We need to fix our roads — especially our local roads. I remain committed to finding a bipartisan road funding solution that doesn’t require raising taxes. We can do it. Just as families have had to tighten their budgets, we can find the existing resources necessary to finally fix our roads.”
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