Governor Gretchen Whitmer discusses vaccine mandates and budget one-on-one
The issues at stake relate to mask rules and vaccination warrants. Part of the language in the budget proposal, would stop the application of the mask rules in schools. It would also prevent public agencies from requiring employees to be vaccinated against COVID.
FOX 2 – Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s legal team is figuring out what to do after the legislature dwells on a budget bill. Part of this relates to masking and vaccines.
President Joe Biden encourages states to impose vaccines on certain people. He wants to demand companies with more than 100 employees to prescribe vaccinations and Covid tests for workers.
The governor does not think the state should intervene.
FOX 2: “You and the President are very close, has he made it clear to you that he would like that to be the case in Michigan?”
“You know the president would like to see more people vaccinated, we’re all on the same page about it,” Whitmer said. “But the point is, the federal government has different tools than we have at the state level.”
This week, state lawmakers gave the green light to the $ 70 billion budget, and it is now awaiting the governor’s signature.
“This is a great budget, I can’t wait to sign the budget,” Whitmer said. “Obviously there are things that my legal team will look at, to see if they are enforceable, are they constitutional?
“I didn’t back down when people tried to undermine our efforts to keep people safe, and they showed up on the front lawn with semi-automatic rifles, and that continues to be a core value for us. Me. So as we look so carefully at all the different aspects of this budget, this is the framework from which I will look at some of the boilerplates. “
The issues at stake relate to mask rules and vaccination warrants. Part of the language in the budget proposal, would stop the application of the mask rules in schools. It would also prevent public agencies from requiring employees to be vaccinated against COVID.
RELATED: New $ 70 billion state budget helps child care, state police and direct health workers
Whitmer believes these prohibitions are unconstitutional. As for the masks, here is where it is:
“At this point, it’s important that people use these tools that we all have access to now,” she said. “Making these decisions at the local level is very important for many reasons, one of which – it gives people the opportunity to have their say.
“As you know, we had to take extraordinary measures early in the pandemic and use blunt tools. We didn’t know much about the virus – we had so many people who got sick and died. At this point, when you look at who’s been hospitalized, nine and a half times out of 10, it’s someone who has chosen not to be vaccinated. “
