A furious row has erupted between the Democratic governor of Michigan and the Republican-dominated legislature over the manner in which she has exercised emergency powers in the face of the Covid crisis, which has particularly affected her base in Detroit.
The capital of Lansing has been rocked by protests over what protesters see as extremism of the governor's lockdown order, which includes the roping off of areas of stores with goods she regards as non-essential.
The Legislature was holding a special session today in order to create an oversight committee to examine how Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has responded to the crisis as well as to consider bills that would strip the governor of some of her powers.
The extraordinary move, at a time when Whitmer is looking to extend her stay-home lockdown of the population past its May 1 expiration, is a sign of an escalating rift with Republicans in the Legislature who are alarmed that a continued straitjacketing of Michigan's economy will lead to a worse-than-Covid disaster. At present, 25 percent of her state's workforce is jobless.
She is regularly denounced as a "tyrant" but gets some support from members of her party.
House Speaker Lee Chatfield, R-Levering, said that "Michigan needs to handle this pandemic seriously yet properly," and added, "It’s what the people deserve, and we will see that it happens."
The Senate also will consider a pair of bills that would repeal the 1945 Emergency Powers of the Governor Act, which gives wide power to the governor to declare a state of emergency in times of “great public crisis.”
Another bill would amend the Emergency Management Act of 1976, which allows the governor to declare a state of emergency for up to 28 days, to reduce the number of allowable days to 14.
Even if the bills pass both the House and Senate, Whitmer has promised to veto the bills that were introduced in the wake of a protest that attracted thousands of people to Lansing to show their disdain for the stay-home orders.
The capital of Lansing has been rocked by protests over what protesters see as extremism of the governor's lockdown order, which includes the roping off of areas of stores with goods she regards as non-essential.
The Legislature was holding a special session today in order to create an oversight committee to examine how Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has responded to the crisis as well as to consider bills that would strip the governor of some of her powers.
The extraordinary move, at a time when Whitmer is looking to extend her stay-home lockdown of the population past its May 1 expiration, is a sign of an escalating rift with Republicans in the Legislature who are alarmed that a continued straitjacketing of Michigan's economy will lead to a worse-than-Covid disaster. At present, 25 percent of her state's workforce is jobless.
She is regularly denounced as a "tyrant" but gets some support from members of her party.
House Speaker Lee Chatfield, R-Levering, said that "Michigan needs to handle this pandemic seriously yet properly," and added, "It’s what the people deserve, and we will see that it happens."
The Senate also will consider a pair of bills that would repeal the 1945 Emergency Powers of the Governor Act, which gives wide power to the governor to declare a state of emergency in times of “great public crisis.”
Another bill would amend the Emergency Management Act of 1976, which allows the governor to declare a state of emergency for up to 28 days, to reduce the number of allowable days to 14.
Even if the bills pass both the House and Senate, Whitmer has promised to veto the bills that were introduced in the wake of a protest that attracted thousands of people to Lansing to show their disdain for the stay-home orders.
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