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3h ago

At Detroit Auto Show, Whitmer Rebukes Tariffs, Backs USMCA, Announces Hydrogen Initiative

She urges a stable North American trade framework ahead of this year’s USMCA review.

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer stands, as U.S. President Donald Trump (not pictured) signs executive orders and proclamations, in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., April 9, 2025. REUTERS/Nathan Howard
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FILE - Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer delivers her State of the State address to a joint session of the House and Senate, Jan. 25, 2023, at the state Capitol in Lansing, Mich. A man accused of supporting a foiled plot to kidnap Whitmer plans to change his not-guilty plea, records show. Shawn Michael Fix, 40, of Belleville, is one of five men charged with providing material support for an act of terrorism in the plot to abduct the Democratic governor in 2020 at her northern Michigan vacation home. (AP Photo/Al Goldis, File)

Overview

  • Whitmer said the administration’s shifting tariff policy has raised costs and driven nine straight months of U.S. manufacturing contraction, with outsized effects on Michigan’s auto sector.
  • She called on Washington to extend and strengthen the USMCA to provide long-term certainty for automakers as the pact undergoes its 2026 review after President Trump labeled it irrelevant.
  • She framed China as the primary competitive threat, citing its push for vertically integrated control of the auto supply chain and rising global market share.
  • The governor signed an executive directive to assess Michigan’s geologic hydrogen potential as a future in-state energy resource for industry.
  • She highlighted recent Michigan investments by GM, Ford and Stellantis and urged lawmakers to lower Michigan Reconnect eligibility to 21 to expand the auto workforce.