Michigan Republicans are seeking accountability for what they consider gross mismanagement and corruption under Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s administration, taking advantage of their new majority in the state House of Representatives.
On Wednesday, Michigan House Speaker Matt Hall gave the Republican-controlled oversight committee broad subpoena power to investigate alleged corruption and incompetence in a state that until recently was ruled by a Democratic trifecta of Whitmer and her state legislative majority.
Republicans contend that the subpoena power will bring a new level of transparency in the only state where the governor is exempt from the Freedom of Information Act.
Democrats were quick to fire back upon learning of the new House rules, with Michigan state Democratic Party Chairwoman Lavora Barnes accusing Hall of a “lengthy record of weaponizing the government to launch unserious partisan antics.”
As part of Republicans’ expansion of the oversight committee’s subpoena power, six subcommittees will be able to scrutinize the state government’s management of welfare programs and the COVID-19 lockdown, as well as the Whitmer administration’s relationship with Chinese government-backed investors.
“It’s a necessary move, I think. It puts Whitmer, [state Attorney General Dana] Nessel and [Secretary of State Jocelyn] Benson on notice, because they’ve gotten away with a lot of s–t,” Jason Roe, a Michigan-based Republican political consultant familiar with state politics, told The Daily Signal.
Republican state Rep. Brad Paquette told The Daily Signal that one of his top priorities as a member of the oversight committee is investigating questionable pork projects funded by Whitmer’s administration.
Paquette cited various obscure organizations funded by the Whitmer administration, such as the mysterious nonprofit startup “100K ideas,” which has received millions from Whitmer’s budgets.
“They got $1.5 million, and nobody knew what that was … . I’m like, well, these must be really good ideas,” Paquette joked.
“We’ve had legislators who have spouses who are lobbyists, who have gotten solar funding and solar initiatives on behalf of their spouse,” he added, alleging possible nepotism and political favors.
Another of the Republicans’ top priorities, according to Paquette, is investigating Chinese industrial activity in the Great Lakes State.
One of the key issues in Michigan’s 2024 election cycle was the construction of the Chinese Gotion battery plant in the small town of Big Rapids.
Republicans such as Vice President-elect JD Vance and then-Senate candidate Mike Rogers contended that the plant’s construction posed a threat to national security and was a symbol of Democrats being in bed with the Chinese Communist Party.
Paquette told The Daily Signal that Michigan residents are more suspicious than ever of Chinese government-sponsored activity in their state since recent scares over Chinese surveillance.
“A lot of our constituents are asking questions about us, too,” said Paquette. “Are you infiltrated? What’s going on? And so we’ve just got to do our due diligence, especially when we’re talking about those taxpayer dollars, on who we’re funding, where those dollars are going to, what companies are being funded.”
But near the top of Paquette’s list of priorities is a thorough investigation of Whitmer’s strict coronavirus lockdowns, which he believes were used as a tool to exert control over Michigan residents.
“There’s barbers who were being shut down or harassed,” said Paquette. “We have a hairstylist who’s now a [state representative], Angela Rigas, who went through terrible struggles with the government, based on wanting to stay open and also political affiliation.”
Roe also supports a reckoning for Democrats, who he believes used the pandemic as a pretext for draconian policies.
“I think there’s a lot of things that they could uncover. I guess we’ll find out if there’s anything that makes [Whitmer] criminally vulnerable,” Roe said.
“I’ve never been a Trump lover, but I’m really excited about the direction that things are going since the election in terms of nominating people that have been critics of the departments that they’re going to lead,” he added.
“A genuine commitment to reexamining how our government governs … and here we have in Michigan an opportunity to draft in behind what [President-elect Donald] Trump is doing.”