Republican lawmakers want to rein in Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s extravagant world travel on the taxpayers’ dime—which she continues to prioritize over dealing with issues in Michigan.
While Whitmer tours the United Kingdom and Ireland this week, a GOP lawmaker introduced legislation to stop Whitmer’s unchecked globetrotting.
House Bill 4310 would require a roll call vote resolution by the Legislature to authorize taxpayer funding of any overseas trips made by the governor.
On Thursday, State Rep. Steve Carra, R-Three Rivers, introduced House Bill 4310, which he says is designed to enhance ethics, accountability and transparency in the governor’s global excursions.
Carra likened Whitmer’s profligacy to a teenager traveling abroad with mom and dad’s credit card—not the top official elected to lead the state.
“Governor Whitmer has recently racked up quite the cache of frequent flyer miles on the taxpayers’ dime,” Carra said in a news release. “Given that the Democrats squandered a $9 billion budget surplus and Governor Whitmer has proposed tax hikes for this year’s budget, this legislation is an important step in strengthening accountability of state resources.”
This week’s trip is Whitmer’s third “investment mission” abroad in the last five months, as The Midwesterner reported this week. She used taxpayer money to visit Spain, the United Arab Emirates and now the UK and Ireland, while also traveling stateside to promote her book.
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Jet-setting Whitmer and her entourage spent $176,000 on their recent “Middle East Investment Tour,” according to Michigan Enjoyer.
During this week’s “trade mission,” Whitmer and other state officials are meeting with business leaders, government officials and industry stakeholders to promote Michigan, the governor’s office said in a written statement.
But lawmakers aren’t buying it.
House Bill 4310 would require the Legislature to approve a detailed plan, including the dates of travel, the destination, and the purpose of the trip. The bill has been referred to the House Committee on Government Operations.
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The legislation is designed to provide some oversight, ensuring the trip is a prudent use of taxpayer money. Carra emphasized that the people of Michigan deserve to know how their money is spent and why Whitmer continues to take extravagant trips under the guise of economic development.
In February, she hopped a plane to the Middle East while lawmakers grappled with the minimum wage and paid sick time legislation. Her trip to Saudi Arabia and Bahrain was billed as a “historic investment mission” to promote Michigan’s economic ties in the region and boost job creation, according to a news release.
That trip, which included 20 staff members, MEDC employees, and others, involved some questionable meetings, including one with Iran-linked Shiek Saud bin Saqr Al-Qasimi, Michigan Enjoyer reported. Whitmer gave a speech about “leveling the playing field in education,” despite Michigan consistently ranking in the bottom 10 states for education.
In November, Whitmer and a group of bureaucrats spent nearly $70,000 on a five-day trip to Spain.
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The Michigan Enjoyer got a hold of her itinerary through a Freedom of Information Act request and found the group stayed at five-star hotels and dined at some of Barcelona’s finest restaurants. Here’s the breakdown: airfare, $36,562.75; hotel, $14,901.61; miscellaneous, $14,179.36; food, $2,984.99; and entertainment, $574.32. However, the governor’s costs are not subject to Michigan’s FOIA laws.
Michigan Capitol Confidential also looked into details of the trip, which included 11 people, and tried to get information on four names that were redacted. Previously, Whitmer spent $141,597 on a 2024 trip to Taiwan and $285,000 on a 2023 trip to Japan.
Carra accused Whitmer of using the trips as a way to meet with her global elitist friends who want corporate handouts.
“Michigan should attract businesses with an environment that is friendly to all industries, one that doesn’t pick winners or losers,” Carra said. “Meanwhile, we have a task force studying why people are leaving our state when it’s her crooked policies that are the very problem, making it unattractive to do business here and pushing companies out of our state.”
Other lawmakers have chastised Whitmer and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation for wasting billions of taxpayer dollars on corporate welfare programs, particularly for Chinese EV battery plants.