Whitmer Forces State of Emergency Extension, MI Senate Leader Warns She's 'Drunk' on Power
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s extended a statewide emergency declaration late Thursday despite a rejection from her own legislature and protests by armed citizens, and it didn’t take long for residents of the state to realize what was happening.
Less than 24 hours after Whitmer’s evening declaration extending state-wide emergency and disaster declarations, state Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey came forward with a dire warning.
“With breathtaking disregard for the law, our Governor took an action yesterday which will memorialize Michigan’s spot in dubious, embarrassing history,” the Republican legislator wrote Friday on Facebook.
Whitmer’s executive orders extend her state of emergency and state of disaster declarations through May 28, nearly a month after they were set to expire on Thursday.
She has yet to extend the state’s stay-at-home order, which expires May 15.
She cited two decades-old laws — the Emergency Powers of the Governor Act of 1945 and the Emergency Management Act of 1976 — in extending the declarations.
“Michigan now has earned the distinction of having a Governor, drunk on the addiction of unfettered power, declaring that she, and she alone, can and will continue to act unilaterally to lock down our society, our culture, and our economy,” Shirkey wrote.
Earlier Thursday, Michiganders made their views on Whitmer’s actions during the pandemic clearly known.
Amid the backdrop of a Republican-led legislature rejecting the governor’s appeal to extend the lockdown for 28 days, armed protesters appeared at the Michigan State Capitol building.
Judging by their harsh attitude toward unconstitutional behavior, it seems that protests against Michigan’s leader will only grow larger and angrier.
The unrest has caught the eye of national leaders like President Donald Trump.
Early Friday, the president encouraged Whitmer to not ignore protesters, but to simply “talk to them, make a deal.”
The Governor of Michigan should give a little, and put out the fire. These are very good people, but they are angry. They want their lives back again, safely! See them, talk to them, make a deal.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 1, 2020
Trump earlier voiced support for pro-Constitution activists in the state, tweeting “LIBERATE MICHIGAN!“
Despite the massive disapproval, it’s unclear if Whitmer will try to force another extension of the emergency and disaster declarations beyond their May expiration date.
With Michiganders unwilling to allow their constitutional rights to be trampled and a governor who doesn’t seem to care, a showdown appears to be brewing.
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