Gov. Gretchen Whitmer invited House Speaker Matt Hall (R-Richland Township) and Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks (D-Grand Rapids) to meet next Tuesday and they accepted, MIRS has learned, marking the first time since the “triangle” has been in a room together since budget negotiations broke down July 1.
The news comes the same day MIRS obtained a copy of an internal document showing the Governor has spoken with Hall, Brinks and numerous other legislative leaders individually and in small groups around two dozen times between July 1 and mid-August.
The document shows at least seven scheduled conversations with Brinks as part of a larger group of leaders and four one-on-one conversations with Hall. Nearly all of her interactions with Brinks were with House Minority Leader Ranjeev Puri (D-Canton), whom she’s talked to nine times. Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Sarah Anthony (D-Lansing) has interacted at least five times with the Governor, Senate Majority Floor Leader Sam Singh (D-East Lansing) four times and House Minority Floor Leader John Fitzgerald (D-Wyoming) another five times.
They include:
- 7/9 Call: Sen. Singh
- 7/10 Dem Leaders: SML Brinks and Leader Puri
- 7/15 Dem Leaders: SML Brinks and Leader Puri
- 7/16 Call: Speaker Hall
- 7/10 Dem Leaders: SML Brinks and Leader Puri
- 7/15 Dem Leaders: SML Brinks and Leader Puri
- 7/16 Call: Speaker Hall
- 7/17 Event: Senator Anthony
- 7/17 Meeting: Sen. Anthony
- 7/17 Call: Rep. Fitzgerald
- 7/22 Dem Leaders: SML Brinks, Leader Puri, Sen. Anthony, Rep. Farhat
- 7/22 Call: Leader Puri
- 7/22 Call: Rep. Fitzgerald
- 7/24 Call: Speaker Hall
- 7/25 Call: Rep. Farhat
- 7/31 Call: Speaker Hall
- 7/31 Dem Leaders: SML Brinks, Leader Puri, Sen. Singh, Rep. Fitzgerald, Rep. Farhat
- 8/5 Dem Leaders: SML Brinks, Leader Puri, Sen. Singh, Sen. Anthony, Rep. Fitzgerald, Rep. Farhat
- 8/6 Call
- 8/11 Event: SML Brinks, rank and file member
- 8/11 Call: rank and file member
- 8/13 Dem Leaders: SML, Leader Puri, Sen. Singh, Rep. Fitzgerald, Rep. Farhat
- 8/14 Coffee: Sen. Anthony
- 8/14 Call: rank and file member
The above conversations don’t include the numerous meetings the Governor’s lobbyists, Budget Director Jen Flood and other executive office and budget staff have had with legislative leaders and their respective staffs, according to the scheduling document.
The information comes as The Detroit News verified a rumor in Lansing that Whitmer is slated to go on an economic trade mission to Japan next month.
Whitmer press secretary Stacey LaRouche declined to confirm the Governor’s schedule due to security concerns, however offered, “Governor Whitmer is the governor 24/7 whether she’s at the state Capitol, visiting communities around Michigan or working to bring good-paying jobs overseas.”
“Her job does not stop because the Legislature failed to pass a budget by the July 1 deadline. Instead, she’s met with legislative leaders 20 times while they’ve been on summer break and has invited the Senate Majority Leader and Speaker to meet together next week. Governor Whitmer is going to continue to do her job.”
In a press conference this morning, Hall said he sees the “triangle” of himself, Brinks and Whitmer meeting, but not the quadrant including Senate Minority Leader Aric NESBITT (R-Lawton) and House Minority Leader Puri. For the three of them to meet, though, Hall said Whitmer would need to drag Brinks in.
“Winnie Brinks doesn’t want to negotiate with me, because she knows that I’ll win that negotiation,” Hall said.
Brinks’ press office declined to comment on the coming meeting.
In related news, at Hall’s weekly press conference, the Speaker laid out how departmental budgets have swelled from Gov. Rick Snyder’s last budget to Whitmer’s Fiscal Year 2025 budget. He focused specifically on the Labor and Economic Opportunity (LEO) budget and the Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) budget.
From the Governor’s viewpoint, however, several of the departments in question have been switched around and others received a large jolt of one-time revenue from the federal government.
Article courtesy MIRS News for SBAM’s Lansing Watchdog newsletter
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