Whitmer asks lawmakers for $2 billion housing push, long‑term road funding and permitting reforms in State of the State

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer urged Michigan lawmakers to approve a $2,000,000,000 housing investment and a long‑term roads funding plan during her State of the State address to a joint convention of the Legislature on Feb. 25.

"Let's invest $2,000,000,000 to build, buy, or fix nearly 11,000 homes," Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said, describing the proposal as the largest housing innovation investment in Michigan history and saying it would create more than 10,000 construction jobs.

The proposal is part of a broader pitch Whittmer framed around lowering household costs, growing jobs and delivering measurable results. She said Michigan has a surplus, a large rainy day fund and has paid down debt in recent years, and she asked lawmakers to produce a balanced, bipartisan budget by June. The housing plan, she said, aims to address a statewide shortfall of roughly 140,000 homes.

Whitmer emphasized transportation funding as among the state's most urgent needs, saying the state's current short‑term bond program, Rebuilding Michigan, will soon phase out and that there is a looming funding cliff for local roads. She called for a long‑term, bipartisan solution and told GOP and Democratic lawmakers that compromise would be required: new revenue sources for roads, cuts as part of the overall solution and protections so the middle class is not unduly burdened.

On permitting and licensing, Whitmer said the state will pursue streamlined processes and promised to instruct state departments and agencies to refund permitting fees when agencies miss statutory deadlines "to the extent we can under the law." She proposed changing state law to further speed permitting and reduce duplication, saying developers and homeowners should be able to get timely decisions and clearer online tracking.

Whitmer highlighted workforce and education programs including Michigan Reconnect and the Michigan Achievement Scholarship, and said she will sign an executive directive to boost outreach to young men for higher‑education and skills programs. She noted low student proficiency in reading and math and proposed targeted investments and transparency measures aimed at improving outcomes.

The governor also outlined other priorities: an expansion of energy assistance that she said could save hundreds of thousands of families on utility bills, bipartisan measures that recently raised the minimum wage and broadened paid sick leave, work to reduce medical debt, and a plan to tax vaping products similar to cigarette taxes. She said Michigan will continue to press federal partners for defense support for Selfridge Air National Guard Base and announced the renaming of a building in honor of Senator Deborah Stabenow.

Whitmer framed much of the address as a call for bipartisan cooperation. She repeatedly invited lawmakers to return to the negotiating table on roads and other major items and said she would use executive authority where possible but that some changes will require new state law.

The address did not itself enact budget changes or laws; Whitmer's proposals will require legislative action and, in some cases, statutory change.

Whitmer concluded the address by urging lawmakers to think of Michigan as a place of opportunity and to work together to deliver lower costs, more jobs and better results.