$152M in Selfridge Money Passes House; Source: Gov’s Office Says They Jumped the Gun

Article courtesy of MIRS for SBAM’s Lansing Watchdog newsletter

The House Tuesday passed legislation to set aside $152 million for new runways at Selfridge Air National Guard Base to accommodate the 21 new F-15EX Eagle II coming to the Macomb County base to replace the retiring A-10 Warthogs, although a source connected with the Governor’s office told MIRS Tuesday House members “jumped the gun.”

Republicans revamped an old Department of Military and Veterans Affairs budget bill, HB 4572, and passed it through the House, 65-41, with the support of all but two Republicans, the entire Macomb County delegation and a handful of Democrats.

House Speaker Matt Hall (R-Richland Township) and House Republicans are looking to speed up the process of getting the new air mission in place by the time President Donald Trump leaves office at the end of 2028. He said doing that means passing this supplemental and getting the governor to sign off on it before spring break.

After speaking with federal officials, Hall is of the understanding that, if left to their own devices, the federal government won’t have the needed improvements to accommodate the 21 new jets until 2030. He’s concerned that a new administration will bureaucratically scuttle the whole project if the next president doesn’t make Selfridge as high a priority as Trump has.

“We want to build on the momentum while Trump is still there,” Hall said at a press conference Tuesday afternoon, “The state can move much faster than the federal government.  . . . We can’t wait for the federal bureaucracy to get it done.”

However, a source connected with the governor’s office said Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has been working with the federal government, Michigan’s congressional delegation and state lawmakers to pull together the remaining federal and state dollars needed to land the fighter mission, and the House’s move Tuesday “clearly jumped the gun” and was not part of any plan agreed to by all parties.

The source said the governor is still committed to bringing in the fighter mission, but everybody needs to work together to get it done.

House Minority Leader Ranjeev Puri (D-Canton) and Rep. Denise Mentzer (D-Mount Clemens) said after the session, they are both supportive of doing what needs to be done to bring the F-15EX Eagle II to Macomb County, but Tuesday’s vote was thrust upon them suddenly, with no discussion in committee or anywhere, for that matter.

“They’re still in the planning stages,” Mentzer said, “This is actually a little bit premature.”

Democratic yes votes came from Reps. Kimberly Edwards (D-Eastpointe), John Fitzgerald (D-Wyoming), Peter Herzberg (D-Westland), Tullio Liberati, Jr. (D-Allen Park), Mike McFall (D-Hazel Park), Mentzer, Will Snyder (D-Muskegon), Samantha Steckloff (D-Farmington Hills), Angela Witwer (D-Lansing) and Mai Xiong (D-Warren).

Republican no-votes came from Reps. Steve Carra (R-Three Rivers) and James DeSana (R-Carleton).

Final numbers from the State Budget Office have the final cut from last December’s $644 million in work project denials at $369 million, and Hall informed the press Tuesday that he doesn’t plan on restoring a single dollar of it.

State departments were either contractually obligated or had already pushed out $275 million of the $644 million in question, meaning money for Potter Park Zoo, the Downriver Community Conference, the Holocaust Museum, Wayne State University’s nurse workforce development program, a Jackson Downtown Development project and Hamtramck fire can’t be cut.

Reps. Ron Robinson (R-Utica), Alicia St. Germaine (R-Harrison Township), Joseph Aragona (R-Clinton Township) and Tom Kuhn (R-Troy) were present at Tuesday’s press conference to show their support for this approach.

As for the $369 million in work project money that was cut through the House Appropriations Committee’s process, Hall claimed all of it was “waste, fraud and abuse.” The $159 million bulk of the cuts from the “Make It In Michigan Fund,” $17 million to a RX Kids program that Hall said was sufficiently funded in the current year budget, $27 million in IT investments, $56 million in leftover indigent defense commission grants, $10 million from the Michigan Strategic Fund and $5 million in renewable energy grants.

He estimated that only 10 pork projects didn’t end up making it to the finish line.

Hall on Whitsett Not Seeking Re-election

The speaker said he was disappointed to see Rep. Karen Whitsett (D-Detroit) announce she would not seek re-election, calling her a “great advocate for Detroit.” He said her “sacrifice” at the end of 2024 by not showing up to the session made sure “some bad things didn’t happen during the Trifecta.”

He also recalled that during COVID, Whitsett gave away appliances to people in her community to make sure people were taken care of during that difficult period.

“Nobody has a bigger heart for her constituents than Karen Whitsett,” said Hall.

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