May 2, 2025 | This Week in Government: New fighter mission for Selfridge

Selfridge Air National Guard Base will be home to a new fighter mission and 20 F-15EX jets, President Donald Trump announced Tuesday afternoon during a speech at the base alongside Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, House Speaker Matt Hall, and Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt.

“Today, I’ve come in person to lay to rest any doubts about Selfridge,” Trump said. “We’re going to save this place, and we’re going to make it better.”

Later in the evening, Trump spoke at a rally in Warren celebrating the first 100 days in office of his second term amid calls from some Michigan Democrats for his impeachment.

The Selfridge announcement was welcomed by Whitmer. Her office estimated that the new mission would protect Selfridge’s $850 million impact on Michigan’s economy and 30,000 jobs statewide.

Trump praised Whitmer for her work on Selfridge, while also naming Hall, Nesbitt and U.S. Rep. John James (R-Shelby Township).

“I’m not supposed to do that. She’s a Democrat,” Trump said of Whitmer. “Your governor has done a very good job. That’s the reason she came to see me, by the way – to save Selfridge. And she was very effective.”

To the governor’s surprise, she was invited to speak at the podium.

“I hadn’t planned to speak, but on behalf of all the military men and women who serve our country and serve so honorably on behalf of the state of Michigan, I am really damn happy we’re here to celebrate this recapitalization of Selfridge,” Whitmer said. “It’s crucial for the Michigan economy. It’s crucial for the men and women here, for our homeland security and our future. So, thank you.”

Whitmer has been advocating for a new fighter mission at Selfridge since she took office in 2019, a press release from her office said.

“Because of our tireless work with partners on the ground in Macomb County and on both sides of the aisle, the future of Selfridge is bright, lasting, and secure,” she said in a statement. “I’ll keep working with anyone to get things done on the kitchen-table issue and make a real difference for Michigan families.”

The Selfridge announcement comes as speculation continues to mount about Whitmer’s plans after she leaves office in 2026, with the Los Angeles Times publishing an interview with her on Tuesday as part of her book tour. In the interview, she addressed the idea of running for president in 2028.

“I don’t know yet,” Whitmer told the LA Times. “I know enough about myself to know I care desperately about where this country is headed … and how much work is going to have to be done to make sure that we have the opportunity to put this country back on the right course. … I want to be a part of that.”

At Selfridge on Tuesday afternoon, Hall also had the opportunity to address the crowd.

“This is why the people of Michigan elected you, sir,” Hall told Trump. “This is the first time in decades where we can all say Selfridge is winning, and we are winning because of you.”

Nesbitt also spoke at the event.

“This means that these folks can continue their mission for America for the coming decades,” Nesbitt said. “Because of your leadership, America’s back again, Macomb’s back again, Michigan’s back again, and Selfridge will be leading the way.”

U.S. Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Holly) highlighted the importance of Selfridge in a statement commending the bipartisan work done to secure the new fighter mission.

“The announcement is important because the Air National Guard hosts the majority of America’s deployable combat air forces, and the fighter mission at Selfridge plays a vital role in the defense of our nation,” she said. “This announcement will ensure that decades of combat-proven experience stays right here in Michigan.”

Macomb County Public Works Commissioner and Selfridge Air National Guard Base Honorary Commander Candice Miller also celebrated the announcement in a statement, calling the new mission transformational.

“This secures the future of this base, which is a critical component of our national defense,” Miller said. “This is the best possible outcome … with the F-15EX, plus the KC-46s that are in the pipeline for us, the Michigan Air National Guard will be playing a major role in national defense for decades.”

Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel also put out a statement saying how important Selfridge was for the area.

“For years, we have worked with Gov. Whitmer, our legislative delegation, and local partners to advocate for our hometown airbase. President Trump’s commitment to bring a new fighter mission home to Selfridge will solidify the base as Michigan’s premier defense installation,” he said. “With new facilities, modern infrastructure, dedicated military and civilian personnel, and a new fighter mission, Selfridge will continue to play a critical role in our nation’s defense.”

Sen. Kevin Hertel (D-St. Clair Shores) called the Selfridge announcement a “major win” for the region.

“Selfridge is too important to our community and the state of Michigan to let anything stand in the way of assuring its future,” he said in a statement. “I’m proud to have done my part to secure state funding and assist the base with the infrastructure improvements needed to make this new endeavor possible.”

At the evening rally in Warren, Trump touted his administration’s executive orders on immigration, transgender athletes, diversity, equity, and inclusion, and tariffs.

“This is the best, they say, 100-day start of any president,” Trump said. “Week by week we’re ending illegal immigrations. We’re taking back our jobs of protecting our great American workers. … We’re restoring the rule of law. … We’re ending the inflation nightmare, the worst that we’ve had probably in the history of our country, and getting woke-lunacy and transgender insanity the hell out of our government.”

At the rally, he also addressed the articles of impeachment filed by U.S. Rep. Shri Thanedar (D-Detroit).

“He said, ‘Ladies and gentlemen, I am going to start the impeachment of Donald Trump,’” Trump said. “What the hell did I do? Here we go again.”

Brian Pannebeck, a retired auto worker from Macomb County who spoke at the rally, later correctly identified Thanedar as the congressman who introduced articles of impeachment and praised James for working with the president, and about an hour into his speech, Trump thanked James for attending the rally after voting in Washington, D.C., earlier in the day.

Trump also promised that in the coming months, the federal government would pass tax cuts and would eliminate taxes on tips, social security, and overtime.

“We will cut more than $1 trillion in wasteful and unnecessary spending, and in the next fiscal year, it’ll all be done,” Trump said.

He also promised to preserve Medicaid.

“We want to preserve Medicaid for the most vulnerable – for our kids, pregnant women, the poor and disabled Americans,” Trump said.

Michigan Democrats issued statements in response to the speech that were extremely critical of Trump’s first 100 days in office.

Curtis Hertel, chair of the Michigan Democratic Party, condemned the visit in a statement.

“With every move he makes, Trump has been slowly killing Michigan’s economy, bleeding jobs and raising costs on everything from groceries to prescriptions. From federal funding cuts to chaotic tariffs, this administration has failed Michiganders in its first 100 days. The worst part is that this was always the plan,” he said. “And let’s not forget that folks like Congressmen John James, Tom Barrett, and Bill Huizenga are in lockstep with his agenda to destroy Medicaid and spike costs for Michiganders. The only people Donald Trump has ever planned to help were himself and his billionaire buddies, and for the past 100 days, he has proven he is willing to abandon working Michiganders to pay for his dangerous agenda — and we doubt it’ll change anytime soon.”

Ahead of the rally on Tuesday, several House Democrats introduced a resolution supporting Thanedar’s articles of impeachment.

“As state legislators, we are very close with our districts. People are scared, and for good reason. Our oversight on Trump is more limited than our colleagues in the U.S. House, but we can ring the alarm bell. Our communities are under assault by this administration, and members of Congress need to take this seriously. It is unthinkable that a president would send innocent people to a foreign country’s prison known for its human rights violations,” Rep. Dylan Wegela (D-Garden City) said. “The Constitution is clear in regards to due process and the freedom of speech for residents of the United States. The foundation of our country is based on checks and balances, and it is unacceptable for Trump to ignore a unanimous Supreme Court ruling. That alone is an impeachable offense.”

Among those joining Wegela on the resolution were Rep. Jason Morgan (D-Ann Arbor), Rep. Laurie Pohutsky (D-Livonia) and Rep. Jimmie Wilson (D-Ypsilanti).

“The constitution is the foundation for how our government operates and safeguards the people who call the United States home,” Pohutsky said in a statement. “The president’s wanton disregard for it and our system of checks and balances demonstrates that he is dangerously unfit to lead this country.”

Senate Democrats moved a competing public safety proposal Wednesday in its general government budget recommendation that they said would provide more flexibility in what types of programs on which communities could spend the money.

Within the Department of Treasury budget, the Senate Appropriations General Government Subcommittee opted not to pursue the governor’s recommendation to use $75 million in sales tax revenue within the revenue sharing portion of the department’s budget for the Public Safety and Violence Prevention Fund as proposed.

In its place, the subcommittee instead included $100 million in the Department of Treasury’s operations budget as a newly created Community Crime Reduction Initiative.

Of this funding, $60 million would be distributed according to taxable value per capita formula to counties and eligible cities, villages and townships, with $50 million coming from a newly created Community Infrastructure Fund and $10 million in General Fund.

Another $40 million in one-time funding would be distributed according to a taxable value per capita formula to counties and eligible cities, villages and townships. Of this, $25 million would be distributed through the proposed Community Infrastructure Fund and the remaining $15 million General Fund.

Sen. John Cherry (D-Flint), the subcommittee chair, was asked by reporters about the House proposal to enact a Public Safety Violence Protection Trust Fund that passed earlier this month, which would provide $115 million (See Gongwer Michigan Report, April 22, 2025).

Cherry said the Senate proposal would provide more flexibility for communities in improving public safety. Some communities may want to hire more law enforcement officers, while others may want to enhance mental health programs or build up a community violence intervention program. The Senate proposal, he said, would allow for more options.

“I believe that the House wants to try to improve the safety of residents, and that’s what we want to do, and we think we have a bit better way to do that Senate budget than the House proposal,” Cherry said.

In the Treasury budget, the Senate recommendation does not include the governor’s proposed $2.45 million in ongoing funding for a new tax on e-cigarettes (See Gongwer Michigan Report, February 5, 2025).

The Senate proposal for Treasury also includes $30 million General Fund to cover a caregiver tax credit, as well as boilerplate language creating a Community Infrastructure Fund, proposing $372.5 million General Fund, of which $200 million would be one-time and $172.5 million ongoing spending.

The Senate recommendation for Treasury operations totaled $961.9 million ($248.3 million General Fund), which was above the governor’s recommendation of $871.4 million ($227.9 million General Fund). For debt service within Treasury, the governor’s $94.9 million General Fund was unchanged.

Senate DTMB proposal differs on IT funding: Department of Technology, Management and Budget funding totaled $1.85 billion ($549 million General Fund) in the Senate recommendation. This was below the $1.92 billion ($614.3 million) General Fund in the governor’s recommendation.

A key change the Senate made for the DTMB budget was a reduction of the governor’s $42.6 million General Fund Information Technology Investment Fund proposal for legacy IT system upgrades to $15.5 million General Fund.

The Senate also omitted the governor’s $25 million General Fund proposal for enterprise-wide special maintenance or a $10 million General Fund for a self-insured property fund. For the Energy Efficiency Revolving Fund, the governor’s recommendation of providing $5 million from the General Fund was reduced by the Senate to $1.85 million from the General Fund.

Expanded AG consumer protection proposal offered: For the Department of Attorney General, the Senate recommendation was $137.4 million ($63.8 million General Fund). This was a slight bump from the $132.4 million ($58.8 million General Fund) in the governor’s recommendation.

A key difference in the Senate budget was $5 million General Fund for a Consumer Protection and Relief Task Force to focus on consumer protection, price gouging, and regulatory enforcement. It would provide 25 full-time equivalent employees within the department’s Corporate Oversight Division.

This took the place of a proposal by the governor for $900,000 General Fund and five FTEs for the creation of a price gouging team within the Corporate Oversight Division. The Senate also included $1 million General Fund to support victim services under the Human Trafficking Commission.

Civil Rights, executive office budgets unchanged: For the Department of Civil Rights, the Senate aligned with the governor’s $30.8 million ($27.8 million General Fund) proposal. The Senate also agreed with the governor’s $9.6 million General Fund executive office budget.

Sentencing Commission funds added to Legislature budget: Total Legislature funding recommended by the panel was $237 million ($220.8 million General Fund), just above the $235.8 million ($219.6 million General Fund) from the governor’s recommendation. The main difference was the Senate’s inclusion of $999,900 for the Sentencing Commission.

Rep. Donavan McKinney announced Monday he’ll join the race to challenge U.S. Rep. Shri Thanedar in 2026, setting up a larger primary that has allowed Thanedar to emerge victorious in previous cycles.

In an announcement video posted on social media, McKinney (D-Detroit) said it’s time for the 13th U.S. House District to be represented by someone who reflects the people who reside there and understands the experiences they’ve had with economic insecurity.

“Somewhere along the way, we got convinced we should settle for less from the people we elect to represent us,” McKinney said in the video. “We deserve a Democratic Party that leads the fight against the billionaires robbing us blind, that stands up to corporate PACs. Our country and our children can afford nothing less.”

McKinney is the second candidate to join the Democratic primary in the 13th District after former Sen. Adam Hollier announced earlier this month he’ll be mounting his third campaign for the seat. He lost a crowded, open-seat race to Thanedar in 2022. Hollier’s disqualification from the ballot in 2024 after allegations of petition signature fraud opened up a wider primary field, but none of the candidates were able to defeat Thanedar.

McKinney launched his campaign with endorsements from a dozen of his colleagues in the Legislature, including Sen. Stephanie Chang (D-Detroit) and Sen. Darrin Camilleri (D-Trenton), and several local officials within the district. He also received the first endorsement against an incumbent given by Justice Democrats, the PAC which supports progressive congress members like U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (D-New York), since 2022.

During his two terms in Congress, Thanedar has drawn criticism from constituents, saying his office is not receptive to local concerns or needs. McKinney noted in his announcement that Thanedar has been able to self-fund much of his political career with wealth accrued from his time in business.

“People like our congressman, Shri Thanedar, are the problem,” McKinney said. “A multi-millionaire who spent millions to buy a seat in Congress, who has more in common with Donald Trump and Elon Musk than people like us.”

Thanedar has been an outspoken opponent of Trump and Musk, calling Monday for the president’s impeachment in a post to X, formerly Twitter.

“Democrats, with the help of a few Republicans, must do the right thing,” Thanedar said. “Donald Trump must be impeached.”

Thanedar introduced articles of impeachment against Trump on Monday, citing several violations of the Constitution, including bribery and corruption, tyrannical overreach, obstruction of justice, and abuse of executive power.

“Donald Trump has repeatedly demonstrated that he is unfit to serve as President and represents a clear and present danger to our nation’s constitution and our democracy,” he said in a statement. “His unlawful actions have subverted the justice system, violated the separation of powers, and placed personal power and self-interest above public service. We cannot wait for more damage to be done. Congress must act.”

Thanedar formally responded to both McKinney and Hollier’s announcements in a Monday statement, defending his personal background and legislative history.

“To date, we’ve solved 3,000 constituent cases, recovered $3 million for constituents, gotten 30 projects worth $30 million approved for the district, sponsored and co-sponsored over 800 bills, and have fought against Trump and Elon Musk’s disastrous policies and cuts,” Thanedar said in the statement. “Voters have a choice between my bold, strong, and proven leadership, or Hollier’s incompetence, or McKinney’s inexperience. I’m confident that my constituents in MI-13 will send me back to Congress again.”

The House Republican majority on Wednesday passed a pair of bills that would put zoning authority for wind and solar projects back to local government.

HB 4027 and HB 4028 would reverse PA 233 of 2023, which gave the state authority over siting for solar and wind projects. Both bills passed 58-48

The controversial legislation originally passed the House in a party-line vote with the then-Democratic majority muscling the legislation to the governor’s desk (See Gongwer Michigan Report, November 2, 2023).

The bills would restore zoning and permitting authority to local governments.

“Why should our small towns and communities be forced to accept one size fits all decisions made miles away by the people set foot on that land we can support alternative energy and protect local democracy,” Rep. Pat Outman (R-Six Lakes). “Those two things are not mutually exclusive. ?In fact, when local residents are part of the conversation, projects are more likely to succeed. They’re better planned, more welcome, and more sustainable.”

Democrats, however, objected to the legislation, saying it took the state backward on renewable energy.

“These bills are repealing a law that launched Michigan into the future,” Rep. Sharon MacDonell (D-Troy) said, noting a study that said Michigan’s renewable energy laws could save families money on their electric bills. “Why would we strip away opportunities to lower costs for Michiganders with these bills before today?”

The House also passed HB 4029, which would set a calendar date cutoff for when the Natural Resources Commission can issue orders relating to hunting, fishing, and trapping and have them take effect in the same year.

Under the bill, an order issued on or after June 1 of a given year wouldn’t take effect until the next calendar year’s hunting or trapping season. The bill also would require the DNR to publish its annual hunting, fishing, and trapping guides and make printed copies available no later than August 15.

The House also spent considerable time on Wednesday moving through the procedural process with more than 20 amendments offered on HB 4244, which would require Michigan to acknowledge the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America. All the amendments were rejected, but Minority Floor Leader Rep. John Fitzgerald (D-Wyoming) repeatedly called procedure into question and forced Speaker Pro Tempore Rep. Rachelle Smit (R-Martin) to explain her caucus’s reasoning.