Michigan Democrat Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in March 2022: ‘We cannot allow China to outcompete us on chip manufacturing
Michigan Democrat Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in October 2022: Whitmer supports building a Chinese-owned battery plant in the state.
So let’s bring Chinese manufacturing to the states! You’re so smart, Whitmer. On Thursday, the Michigan Senate Appropriations Committee approved $175 million to build an EV battery plant owned by Chinese manufacturer Gotion:
The Senate Appropriations Committee voted 10-9 to approve the transfer of state tax dollars, allowing state officials to move forward with spending the money to bring a $2.4 billion EV battery parts facility to Green Township and an estimated 2,350 jobs to Mecosta County.Supporters, including Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, have touted the plans as “the biggest ever economic development project in Northern Michigan.” But opponents have protested the effort, voicing concerns about environmental impacts on a rural area of the state and about the company’s connections to China.The 10 yes votes came from Democratic lawmakers. The no votes came from three Democrats and six Republicans. After the Thursday hour-long meeting, Senate Appropriations Chairwoman Sarah Anthony, D-Lansing, said Democrats were looking out for “all Michiganders.””If you have actually been into this area, it’s one of the poorest communities in the state,” Anthony said. “So I think that it is a point of privilege for individuals to say that good paying jobs … for a very rural, very low-income area should not be considered with due diligence.”
The residents don’t want the plant, Anthony:
Marjorie Steele, a resident of Big Rapids, criticized the committee for rushing the vote on the funding and for scheduling the hearing with little notice.”I’m angry. I’m angry that this vote was slipped into the agenda today with as little information as possible so that people like me wouldn’t know it was happening,” Steele said. “I’m angry that you, our elected officials, have ignored my community’s pleas to table this vote until some small semblance of due diligence can be performed.””I can promise you that we will not stop at the local level,” she added. “We are tired of being abused and we are not alone. This is not just a Mecosta County issue. Townships and counties across the state are uniting, sharing resources, manpower and grassroots activism. Your votes today, senators, are lines drawn in the sand.”
Ryan Jennings could not understand why anyone in Michigan would “even consider a Chinese-based company if, in fact, there is an American company willing to build this type of plant.”
Well, we should ask Michigan state Rep. Elissa Slotkin. Something fishy happened earlier this year between Slotkin and Glotion:
Slotkin’s office confirmed to The Detroit News earlier this year that the Michigan lawmaker and her deputy legislative director Austin Girelli signed NDAs to discuss the proposal from Gotion, a subsidiary of the Hefei, China-based Gotion High-Tech, to build an electric vehicle (EV) battery plant in Big Rapids, Michigan. The proposed factory would be located outside of Slotkin’s congressional district.Austin Cook, a spokesperson for Slotkin, explained to the outlet in February that Slotkin believed it was important “to learn more about significant economic development projects like this to better understand their impact, and if there are ways to help from the federal level.” He acknowledged Slotkin and her staff signed NDAs to “be part of those conversations.”
Gotion Inc has been located in California since 2014. Gotion High-tech, its parent company, is based in China.
The state of Michigan even banned TikTok over its connections to China. Oh, Whitmer still uses TikTok on her government device despite the ban, but her phone has super duper security powers.
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