April 11, 2025 | This Week in Government: US Senate Confirms Hoekstra for Ambassador to Canada

The U.S. Senate backed former Michigan Republican Party Chair and U.S. Rep. Pete Hoekstra to be ambassador to Canada.

Hoekstra, who was the former ambassador to the Netherlands in President Donald Trump’s first term, was confirmed in a 60-37 senate vote with several supporting Democratic votes, including U.S. Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Holly) and U.S. Sen. Gary Peters (D-Bloomfield Hills).

“I am deeply appreciative to President Trump and to the U.S. Senate for their trust and confidence in me,” he said in a statement. “I look forward to beginning my work in Canada and once again serving the people of the United States of America at this important time in the U.S.-Canada relationship.”

He is the first Michigander to be a Canadian ambassador since former President Bill Clinton named former Governor Jim Blanchard to the position in 1993.

“Canada is our most valuable trading partner, our largest source of foreign investment, and our largest source of energy imports,” Hoekstra said in a statement. “We share the longest border in the world – more than 5,500 miles, fostering longstanding friendships between the American and Canadian people. As Ambassador to Canada, I will work with the Canadian government to review and strengthen our strong trading partnership, secure our borders, confront the deadly threat of fentanyl to our citizens, and build our national security cooperation.”

Hoekstra earned a total of nine Democratic and independent party votes to secure the win.

Slotkin said the U.S. relationship with Canada is as threatened as she has ever seen it, and tariffs on Canada threatens to raise prices for Michiganders.

“So while I disagree with Mr. Hoekstra on a good many issues — and he spent the better part of two years trying to beat me in my Senate race as the as the head of the Michigan Republican Party — my hope is that his first-hand knowledge of Michigan’s economy will be the best shot we have at pushing back on the most flagrant of the tariffs on Canada,” Slotkin said in a statement. “I appreciate his commitment to an open line of communication and wish him strength to stand up for the economy of his home state.”

Hoekstra served in the U.S. House from 1993-2011 and was the ambassador to the Netherlands from 2018-2021.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer gently pushed back on sweeping tariffs and suggested a return to World War II-era public-private partnerships to bolster manufacturing in the aerospace and defense industries in a Wednesday speech in Washington, D.C. – but also continued to emphasize her alignment with President Donald Trump on certain issues.

Whitmer spoke in opposition to the latest round of tariffs imposed this week by Trump during her speech, just hours before he unexpectedly announced there would be a 90-day pause in the bulk of them and the governor and House Speaker Matt Hall (R-Richland Township) found themselves in the Oval Office during a press conference (see separate story).

Whitmer’s “Build, America, Build” address contained messages about bipartisanship and cooperation with Trump with which Michiganders have become familiar in recent months, but also warned about the impact tariffs will have on consumers and states which rely on manufacturing. It was a speech with national political overtones given continuing speculation about whether Whitmer is considering a 2028 presidential run.

“I’m not going to sugarcoat it … these last few days have been tough for Michigan. Twenty percent of our economy is tied to the auto industry, which depends on a steady flow of goods from our largest and closest trading partners,” Whitmer said. “We’re already seeing the impacts. Auto companies are stockpiling parts and laying off workers. Suppliers are facing higher costs and delaying expansions. Dealerships will be forced to raise prices by up to $15,000 amid slowing sales. And since every auto job supports three others in the community, the impact will be felt by countless small businesses across Michigan too.”

Whitmer, during her speech and the following interview with former Fox News anchor Gretchen Carlson, said the anxiety and uncertainty caused by the White House’s actions this week is part of a larger lack of understanding about how tariffs actually function.

“If you think that a company or a country is paying the tariff, you’re being misled,” Whitmer said in her conversation with Carlson. “It is the consumer that ends up paying the cost, and really, it’s a tax.”

Whitmer said she’s not against tariffs on principle, echoing the stance she expressed in her State of the State address in February, but likened Trump’s current strategy to using a hammer in a situation that calls for a scalpel.

She said tariffs should be strategic and called for a “carve out” in the energy and auto sectors, “both of which are critical to manufacturers and directly impact people’s wallets.”

“Finally, to the extent that tariffs are a strategic tool in our economic toolbox, let’s use all our new revenue to reinvest in American businesses and workers,” she said.

Whitmer’s stance on tariffs has been one of the few topics on which she’s been outspoken in opposition to the White House. Several Michigan Democrats have called upon Whitmer to take a stronger position against many of the actions that have come out of the White House since Trump took office, particularly related to federal funding, staffing cuts, and immigration issues.

In her conversation with Carlson, Whitmer acknowledged her strategy for operating during the second Trump term isn’t the one most members of her party would prefer she use, but said she believes it’s the right move.

“I understand why people feel that way. I am, as you know, anxious and angry about a lot of the policies coming out of Washington right now,” Whitmer said. “I accept that (people may disagree), but I took an oath to the people of Michigan to try to get as much done for the state. Now, if people come for our rights, or for our health care … I’m going to be the first one out there. I will hold people accountable. I’ve also got to continue to make sure I got a seat at the table so I can try to get important things done.”

Michigan Democrats largely stayed mum on Whitmer’s speech, save for Rep. Noah Arbit (D-West Bloomfield), who posted on X, formerly Twitter, that he is “opposed to tariffs outright.”

“Protectionism is the road to a manufacturing renaissance in fantasyland, but in reality, it is the road to ruin,” Arbit said in the post.

Whitmer also said in the speech that the federal government should be focused on working with states and the private sector to boost manufacturing, particularly in the defense and technology industries, in a new “arsenal of democracy” effort.

“There’s been a lot of talk recently about ‘government efficiency.’ But all the proposed solutions have been about firing people from the crew or stripping away critical parts. That’s no way to win a race. If we really want to win – and keep winning – we need to reinvest in our crew and build better parts,” she said. “In our darkest hours, that’s exactly what we did … When America entered World War II, we didn’t have the industrial capacity to fight a two-front war in Europe and the Pacific, let alone win. So, we built the Arsenal of Democracy. It was the most successful collaboration between government and industry and workers ever.”

The image of tens of thousands of workers rolling B-24 bombers out of Ford’s Willow Run plant during the war, Whitmer said, can serve as a blueprint for how to develop a homegrown modern aviation and defense industry (subscribers please note: An earlier version of this story referenced the incorrect bomber produced at Ford’s Willow Run plant).

“We were able to get it done (then) because the federal government set a clear strategy, slashed red tape, and simplified procurement. When you already know how to make something complicated – like a car – it’s easier to shift your factory to make something else,” Whitmer said. “Domestic manufacturers, whether they’re multinational corporations or small or mid-size companies further up the supply chain, stand ready. If we collaborate at the state and federal level, we can make targeted investments to retool our factories to make planes, plane parts, and drones. We have a manufacturing and innovation ecosystem uniquely suited for modern defense and aerospace needs.”

Although some Democrats, including Colorado Governor Jared Polis, took to social media to express disagreement with Whitmer’s statements about tariffs not being an inherently bad economic tool and others continued to question her approach to dealing with Trump, Whitmer said she’d rather have a seat at the table than be on the menu.

“I’m going to talk about making sure that we are growing our economy and landing good-paying jobs. We’ve got some opportunities in the works; we could use some help (from Trump),” Whitmer said. “I’m going to talk about the impact of tariffs. I don’t know that I’ll make any ground, but I’m not going to waste the opportunity to talk about something that is important to my state.”

Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel asked the Michigan Supreme Court on Wednesday to rule in his favor in a lawsuit involving the extent of Hackel’s executive powers in light of a new budgeting ordinance and another over a corporate counsel funding issue with Macomb County Prosecutor Peter Lucido.

Both cases were heard by the Supreme Court during oral arguments.

Hackel v. Macomb County Board of Commissioners (MSC Docket No. 166363), alleges that the board sued over Hackel’s refusal to give the board’s director of legislative affairs real-time, read-only access to the county’s integrated financial software programs. The board asked the lower courts for an order compelling him to do so because it passed an ordinance regulating the adoption of appropriations ordinances.

The Court of Appeals in a 2-1 unpublished opinion affirmed the Macomb Circuit Court in siding with Hackel. His attorney, David Porter, argued the ordinance curtails his executive powers during the budget process – and potentially other functions if the court doesn’t rule in his favor. Porter also said Hackel has never refused information when asked by the board and that his office has provided budget information, even if not in the format specifically requested by the board.

If the information offered wasn’t what the board was looking for, Porter said Hackel’s office would work to get them that information.

Peter Webster, representing the Macomb Board of Commissioners, argued that the issue before the court is Macomb County-specific and that it should reject Hackel’s assertion that ruling against him would affect other counties. He also said the ordinance requires Hackel to simply furnish the board with the software, and that overall, the board was entitled to real-time budget information throughout the year and not just during the budget cycle.

Webster said if the court affirmed the ordinance and did not view it as an infringement on Hackel’s executive authority, it would help end delays in the budget process and throughout the year as the board makes amendments.

Porter countered by saying that the intent of the charter was to separate the powers of the board and the executive office, giving clear powers to the executive regarding county finances. He asked the bench consider the intent of the framers instead of the interplay between ordinances and whether they have the effect of law.

Justice Elizabeth Welch asked Webster if the commission could just pass any measure it wanted without regard for the separation of powers outlined in the county’s charter. Justice Kimberly Thomas asked a similar question of Webster regarding the commission’s broad range of authority except for when it involves the executive office. Thomas wondered if there was some restraint baked into the ordinance given that state law isn’t typically inclusive of local ordinances.

Webster said the board can impose whatever requirements it wants on the budget process with some limitations.

“For example, there are provisions of eligibility of office. There’s a restriction on the executive not being able to hold outside full-time employment,” Webster said. “Where there’s an ordinance that runs counter to that, (the ordinance) would not be validly enacted. Here, this is a request for information. The Court of Appeals (said) that we’re entitled to that information, that’s acknowledged. (This appeal) is about the provision of that information and how frequently.”

Justice Richard Bernstein questioned Porter’s assertion that there would be a ripple effect and that ruling in the board’s favor would “spell the end to charter county government as we know it.”

Porter said allowing the ordinance to stand would mean no stopping point on the board’s ability to curtail Hackel’s authority on other issues notwithstanding the budget. Such a move could also render other portions of the charter meaningless.

“Any other facet of the executive’s authority to direct, supervise, control and coordinate all county government departments, services, operations,” Porter said. “All of those … (would be) subject to the commission’s ability to enact ordinances. There is no stopping it. I think the fundamental source of the disagreement in this case is the commission is continuing to operate as if it’s a general law county and it’s not.”

Macomb County Prosecutor v. Macomb County Executive (MSC Docket No. 167415) deals with Hackel’s refusal to appropriate tax revenue for Lucido to hire law firms to create a separate corporate counsel for legal advice. Hackel vetoed the line item, but the county board put it back into the budget. Hackel indicated to the board that he would continue to withhold the funds from Lucido’s office because taxpayer funds were prohibited from being spent in that manner per the county’s charter.

Lucido’s office sued Hackel’s office. The appellate court agreed with Lucido and ordered Hackel to appropriate the funds.

Porter asked the high court to overturn that decision on statute of limitations grounds. He argued that the prohibition on using taxpayer funds in that way was clear in the county’s charter.

Porter also said the spat came down to a personality conflict between Lucido’s office and the existing corporate counsel for Macomb County.

John Perrin, representing Lucido’s office, argued Hackel only vetoed the items and threatened to withhold the funds. Perrin said that action wasn’t technically a formal move to withhold the funds, as there were continued conversations over the funding at the time the lawsuit was filed.

Perrin added that a threat to veto might influence the overall discussion, but it wasn’t an official “impoundment” of the funds, and that the statute of limitations weren’t at play in the case.

Justice Brian Zahra asked Porter if Hackel impounded the funds or simply just threatened to do so. Porter said that Hackel excised the line item for Lucido and when the general appropriations act was approved, he took measures to impound the funds. Zahra said that wasn’t a straight answer, and he still wasn’t sure whether the funds were formally withheld.

Incoming Chief Justice Megan Cavanagh asked how Lucido did not have a cause of action when the executive would not sign the contracts.

Porter said Hackel still reserved the right to change his mind, and that he indicated that he was willing to continue discussions if the prosecutor’s office found a different legal authority that would give him the right to use taxpayer funds to create a new corporate counsel.

A group seeking to place a constitutional amendment on the ballot to enact ranked choice voting in Michigan said this week it recruited more than 2,000 volunteers last weekend and hopes to be able to begin collecting signatures next month.

Rank MI Vote, which aims to place the proposal on the ballot in 2026, said it signed up 2,021 volunteers at 31 events across the state.

The group in a release said it had “harnessed the energy of massive statewide protests” that were held last weekend in communities across the state in opposition to the actions of President Donald Trump’s administration to secure more supporters for its proposal, which, if enacted, would make Michigan the third state to have ranked choice voting.

“In a time of rising turmoil and uncertainty, it’s very clear our current system is wholly incapable of addressing the issues that matter most to voters,” Rank MI Vote Executive Director Pat Zabawa said in a Tuesday statement. “When thousands of Michiganders said yes to Rank MI Vote in a single weekend, it’s a clear sign that people are hungry for real, tangible change – and ready to get their hands dirty to make it happen.”

Zabawa said the group is working to complete its proposed language and submit it to the Board of State Canvassers later this month.

“Rank MI Vote continues to anticipate that our amendment language will be approved at the May meeting of the Board of State Canvassers, with signature collection beginning around Memorial Day weekend,” Zabawa said. “We’re moving with all deliberate haste to send the language to the Board in late April.”

Ranked choice voting involves ranking all candidates for an office by preference. If no candidate wins a majority in the first round of voting, the candidate obtaining the fewest votes is eliminated and another round of voting is held.

In the second round of voting, ballots with the eliminated candidate as the first choice are tallied with the second-choice candidate, with the process repeating itself until a candidate receives a majority of votes.

The concept is similar to a runoff, a process used in some states when no candidate receives a majority of the vote in the first round.

To obtain ballot access, Rank MI Vote would need to collect at least 446,198 valid voter signatures for its proposed constitutional amendment.

Supporters of the concept have said it would reduce political polarization and lead to more candidates winning office who better represent the wishes of voters. It has also been stated the change would spur higher voter turnout.

The National Conference of State Legislatures said Alaska, Maine and the District of Columbia use ranked choice voting for all elections, while California, Colorado, Hawaii, New Mexico, Utah and Virginia allow the option for some local elections.

The use of ranked choice voting is also banned in 13 states.

Stop RCV, a group opposed to ranked choice voting states on its website that the process is more complicated for voters in that one may have to do additional research on candidates to make more informed choices.

“This benefits those who have more time and access to information – in short, RCV gives more power to elites while making it harder for everyone else,” the group states online.

The group adds that ranked choice ballots take longer to fill out, causing delays at polling locations.

It also is more complicated for election workers to administer, the group said, requiring special election equipment to tabulate ranked choice ballots and additional costs for training election workers.

Questions have also been raised by Stop RVC over transparency including in tabulating results by computer and in handling recounts, particularly hand recounts.

Men are an important part of Michigan’s economy, and they need to know there are resources available to them, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said at an event in Auburn Hills at Oakland Community College where she signed an executive directive to expand access to college and skills training for men.

“Here in Michigan, we have been working hard to reduce costs and make it easier for folks to achieve their goals,” Whitmer said. “Too many men don’t have the resources they need to succeed. That’s why I’m proud to sign this executive order that will ensure more Michiganders are aware of and can access key programs that will lower the cost of education, ensuring more men can get good paying jobs and put more money back in their pockets.”

The directives instruct the Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential and the Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity to make an active effort to reach and inform more men of existing tuition-free options for post-secondary education, emphasizing that it can lead to better-paying careers.

Whitmer also noted that the directives support her administration’s Six by 30 goal to increase the percentage of Michigan residents with a post-secondary degree or certification to 60% by 2030.

The Governor first mentioned her desire to increase focus on education for men in her State of the State address earlier this year, noting that she had heard from a lot of moms in the state who are worried about their sons.

“The last thing any of us wants is a generation of young men falling behind their fathers and grandfathers,” she said during her speech in February. “My message tonight goes out to all young people, but especially our young men. I know it’s hard to get ahead right now, but I promise you, no matter how hard life might get, there is always a way out and a way up.”

Men need to be specifically targeted, a press release from the governor’s office said because nationally, the labor force participation rate for young men is 700,000 short compared to 2004. Additionally, most job growth has been in sectors where workers have degrees or training, but undergraduate enrollment for men fell by 10.2% in 2021. Boys are falling behind girls in education in other ways, with 45,000 fewer boys graduating high school every year compared to girls, and boys’ literacy rates are much lower than their female classmates, with girls reading 100,000 more words than boys by the 4th grade.

“Men are an important part of our state and our workforce, and we must ensure all populations in Michigan are prepared to fill the in-demand, high-paying jobs of the future,” MiLEAP Director Beverly Walker-Griffea said in a statement. “We are proud of our efforts to connect Michiganders with programs like the Michigan Achievement Scholarship and Community College Guarantee for recent high school graduates and Michigan Reconnect for adults 25 and older, and under today’s executive directive, we will double down on our efforts to reach out to men across the state. MiLEAP is committed to helping all Michiganders get the skills and education they need to achieve their goals for themselves and their families.”