Whitmer won't accept 'status quo' in road, budget talks

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer says she won't sign a "status-quo" budget, stepping up her criticism of Republican legislative leaders for not offering a viable alternative to her proposed 45-cents-a-gallon fuel tax hike to fix the roads.


The Democratic governor held a news conference Wednesday, about a month before the budget deadline.


She said GOP lawmakers are "screwing around" and have not offered a legitimate plan nearly six months after she made her proposal. She criticized their call to shift money for schools to the transportation budget.


Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey accused Whitmer of creating a "fabricated crisis" and said legislators will pivot to sending her a budget plan.


Whitmer officially ruled out taking longer to address unfunded liabilities in the school employees' retirement system to free up revenue for roads.