first question senator Whitmer you'll be
first on answering this in the first
debate a couple weeks ago in Grand
Rapids you were asked to state very
simply how much is it going to cost to
fix our roads and where's the money
going to come from your answers were not
quite as simple as the question would
seem to demand so I'd like to try again
a recent independent infrastructure
Commission found that we need to be
spending more than two billion dollars a
year on our roads you both talked about
drawing off money off of other budgets
in the state and combining it with
federal money which services or
departments can expect to see money
redirected toward our roadways our
higher tax is a possibility if so what
taxes and I prefer to hear about your
plan rather than your take on your
opponent's plan sooner Whitmer sure
so I'm leading with a real
infrastructure plan because I know
families across Michigan are tired of
paying the Republican Road tax which is
in the form of replacing our windshields
or our tires or getting alignments I got
to tell you I talked to a woman the
other day in Ann Arbor she had an
aneurysm and her ambulance took a longer
route to the hospital it was a
life-and-death situation but the shorter
route was ridden with potholes and I
want you to think about this there are
buses full of kids who are on their way
to school that are going over bridges
that have temporary temporary supports
we deserve better that's why I'm leading
with an infrastructure plan I create a
rebuild Michigan infrastructure bank I
will write a budget in the first part of
next year that actually dedicates two
billion dollars it draws down a billion
from the federal government and it means
we get to work right away if the
legislature is not strong enough to take
those votes I'll go straight to the
public and pass a bond we need real
solutions our roads are endangering us
and it's time turn to Attorney General
shooty rather if you could done the same
matter you know Michigan needs to be a
first-class state and we need to have
roads that reflect the quality of the
cars we build right here in Michigan and
nobody nobody's on these rows more than
I in our 83 counties and two peninsulas
and here's what we need to do number one
specifically we need to make sure we
have a full and complete audit of MDOT
and how they allocate road funding
across the state
we need to have guarantees and
warranties when it for our roads and
bridges just like any other product you
might buy and when you'd have more
federal funding coming from Washington
I'll walk right through the front door
of the White House because of my
relationships call the Secretary of
Transportation Elaine Chao a friend of
mine and be an advocate for more federal
dollars coming to Michigan and we're on
the track right now of 1.2 billion
dollars through 2021 on road funding I
want to expand that and every aspect of
government's going to chip in because
roads will be a priority now my opponent
when she says she wants to fix the darn
roads she's gonna raise her darn taxes
I'm gonna protect your wallet she's
gonna raise your taxes it's an extreme
approach and it would take us back back
to the last decade of 50% unemployment
and you know I'm not a general senator
Whitmer you have 30 seconds now to
rebuttal
well I want to crack the attorney
general if the same is we're gonna fix
the damn rose and I put a real solution
on the table no more of this baloney I
am tired of politicians that just give
you talking points instead of real
solutions saying you're gonna walk
through the front door of the Trump
White House doesn't fix a single pothole
in this state and I'm tired of traveling
roads that are falling apart
I'm tired of how uncompetitive it makes
us and I'm tired of how it's endangering
citizens on our roads we're gonna get
this done we got to do it together
phony talking points don't fix the
problem that is 30 seconds you now have
30 seconds as well Attorney General
shootie you know listen getting more
Road funding from Washington back to
Michigan would help our roads and listen
senator Whitmer's approach is just more
taxes her economic policies is a
three-letter word tax and will send us
into a spiral and it'll cost more jobs
and Michigan will fall behind again her
infrastructure bank it's gonna be filled
with your taxes I'm gonna protect your
wallet and Senator Whitmer wants to
raise your taxes that's the wrong
approach it's extreme