Gov. Whitmer’s Build, America, Build Address as Prepared for Delivery

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

April 9, 2025 

Contact: press@michigan.gov  

Gov. Whitmer’s Build, America, Build Address as Prepared for Delivery

LANSING, Mich. – Today, Governor Gretchen Whitmer will deliver her Build, America, Build Address in Washington D.C., laying out her vision to work with both parties and federal officials to build America’s manufacturing might and protect our national defense. In her address, the governor will outline her bipartisan approach to bring supply chains home from China, create more good-paying jobs, and invest in our defense industry.

Since elected, Governor Whitmer has made clear that she will work with anyone to support Michiganders across the state. Her administration has invested in programs and facilities that have bolstered Michigan's manufacturing strength and made Michigan and the U.S. more competitive on a global scale.This address will lay out Governor Whitmer’s long-term strategy that puts America at the forefront of manufacturing and strengthens our national defense. Governor Whitmer will continue to work with anyone to continue getting things done, grow the economy, and protect our nation.

Please see below for her remarks as prepared for delivery.

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Thank you, George, for that kind introduction. And thank you all for being here! I’m going to talk about how we can work together to get things done to grow our economy, protect our national defense, and make a real difference for working families.

I came to DC because I believe in our ability to bridge political divides and make lasting progress. Even in my 7th year as governor, I’m still guided by the values I was taught growing up in a bipartisan household. Those core, Midwestern values of decency, respect, and kindness still shape the way I approach this work because it helps me get things done.

As a state legislator, I worked with a Republican governor to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, covering hundreds of thousands more Michiganders. As governor, I’ve worked with a Republican-led legislature for most of my time in office to enact nearly 1,500 bipartisan bills and 6 balanced budgets into law. Michiganders have an opportunity and an obligation to lead by example and show DC how we get things done.

Before we dig in to my proposals today, I need to acknowledge what’s going on with tariffs. I’m not going to sugarcoat it... these last few days have been tough for Michigan. 20% of our economy is tied to the auto industry, which depends on a steady flow of goods from our largest and closest trading partners. We’re home to THE busiest international border crossing in North America. More than 10,000 vehicles carrying parts and materials cross the bridge between Detroit and Windsor every weekday. 

We’re already seeing the impacts. Auto companies are stockpiling parts and laying off workers. Suppliers are facing higher costs and delaying expansions. Dealerships will be forced to raise prices by up to $15,000 amid slowing sales. And since every auto job supports three others in the community, the impact will be felt by countless small businesses across Michigan too.

Economist have pointed out that these tariffs represent the largest tax increase in nearly 60years, costing families an average of $1,900. If you’re planning on having a cup of coffee, pumping gas, getting groceries, buying clothes for your kids, or meeting a friend for drinks... every single one of those transactions will cost more because of tariffs. At the same time, 401ks and IRAs are plunging, forcing older Americans to put off their retirement. Home prices will go up, putting homeownership further out of reach for young people.

It’s a triple whammy… higher costs, fewer jobs, more uncertainty... and it could not come at a worse time. People are struggling after years of inflation and wages that just won’t keep up. They want a government focused on lowering the cost-of-living. Instead, what they’re getting is the opposite… less money in their pockets and more doubts about their future paychecks. Critical government services getting defunded as they’re needed most.

I understand the motivation behind the tariffs, and here’s where President Trump and I DO agree. We DO need to make more stuff in America… more cars and chips… more steel and ships. We DO need fair trade. 

No state has lived through the consequences of offshoring and outsourcing more than Michigan. We know losing a factory doesn’t just mean losing jobs. Losing people means losing resources. It means fewer police officers and underfunded schools. It means less housing built and fewer roads fixed. It’s a loss of purpose and identity.

So, while I share the President’s goal of bringing good-paying, middle-class manufacturing jobs back home… it’s got to be done right. Reindustrialization could have huge ripple effects, since manufacturing has the highest economic multiplier effect of any sector. Every dollar spent to make something triggers a chain reaction of material purchases, jobs in the supply chain, and more local economic growth.

As I’ve said before, I’m not against tariffs outright, but they are a blunt tool. You can’t just bust out the tariff hammer to swing at every problem without a clearly defined end-goal. We also cannot underestimate or underappreciate the time and capital it will take to actually bring jobs and supply chains back home. There’s no shortcut here. Strategic reindustrialization must be a bipartisan project that spans multiple presidential administrations.

To get it done, let’s work with our friends and compete against our adversaries. Let’s be strategic and put tariffs on the technology we actually want to make in America or in industries where we already have a sizeable competitive advantage. Let’s carve out autos and energy, both of which are critical to manufacturers and directly impact people’s wallets. Finally, to the extent that tariffs are a strategic tool in our economic toolbox, let’s use all our new revenue to reinvest in American businesses and workers.

Our history has proven that when we build, we succeed. And the opposite is true, too. When we don’t build, we fall behind. When we don’t build enough housing, we put the American Dream out of reach. When we don’t build enough schools, we lose our pipeline of talent. When we don’t build enough roads or transit, we make it harder for people to get around and for businesses to move their goods. When we don’t build enough factories, the engines that power our industrial economy sputter. 

The Trump administration says they get this, and I know the Biden administration understood this too. It’s why, despite the political division we see on the surface, there has been a real, bipartisan effort below deck to bring manufacturing back home. 

Here’s an example from Michigan. In October 2023, my administration invested $40 million to fix Wilder Road in a small town near Saginaw on the shores of Lake Huron. We got it done to help Vantage Plastics, a local manufacturer, build a new factory and create 93 good-paying, local jobs. This is a purple part of Michigan—President Trump won it three times and I won it twice. A few weeks ago, Vice President Vance visited the finished factory. He spoke there and said quote “making things, building things, working with our hands is America’s heritage.” I agree.

I’m proud that the amount of money being spent to build factories in America has more than tripled over a decade. In Michigan, we’ve secured dozens of new facilities to build chips, batteries, cars, and energy. Just this year, major companies have announced huge investments in America to build data centers, factories, and research facilities. 

Here’s my pitch… let’s keep going. Let’s make more ships, planes, and semiconductor chips in America. Let’s cut red tape and unleash the extraordinary potential of American industry. Let’s give more hardworking people a fair shot at a decent life. And let’s usher in, as President Trump says, a “Golden Age” of American manufacturing.

First, let’s talk about ships. Today, American shipbuilding output is a fraction of what it was in the 1950s. We build just zero-point-one percent (0.1%) of the world’s ships while China alone makes 53%... more than the rest of the world combined. Here’s another shocking stat: China’s largest, state-owned ship company built more ships by tonnage last year than we have over the past 80years—since the end of World War II. 

Shipbuilding is both a commercial and military challenge, but I want to focus today on military shipbuilding. Last September, the US Navy set an ambitious goal of building hundreds more ships and submarines over the next few decades. If we don’t progress toward that goal, China’s naval fleet could be 50% larger than ours by 2030. 

I’m encouraged that both parties see this as a problem. In December, Republicans and Democrats in Congress introduced the SHIPS for America Act, the most significant, bipartisan legislation to build ships in decades. Last month, during his joint address to Congress, President Trump announced that he will establish a new office of shipbuilding in the White House under the National Security Council. A few days later, Brett Seidle, the deputy assistant secretary of the Navy for R&D, testified in front of the House Armed Services Committee. He outlined the challenges we face including reduced manufacturing capacity, supply disruptions, and most all, workforce shortages. 

That last factor—workforce—is huge. We’re short more than 100,000 workers as nearly every major American shipyard has a hard time hiring and retaining workers. This shortage will get worse as a generation of experienced shipyard workers retires. If we don’t act, our shipbuilding workforce will soon be smaller and less experienced than ever. In Michigan, we are the tip of the spear—or torpedo—in facing this challenge.

Last year, the former Navy Secretary and I launched the Michigan Maritime Manufacturing, or M3, Initiative. It’s a job training program built in partnership with Macomb County and Macomb Community College to prepare thousands of Michiganders for careers in maritime welding or machining. 

A few weeks ago, I attended the first-ever M3 graduation ceremony, which was full of inspiring stories. A mother and son duo who went through the program together. A young man who built on the career and technical education he received in high school. Another who went from homelessness to a hopeful future. A clerk, a caregiver, a Coast Guard veteran. We’ve already heard from businesses that hired some of these recent graduates and are impressed with their technical knowledge and skills. 

A couple weeks ago, I shared the success of M3 with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. I told him that it’s good for workers, good for Michigan, and good for America. So… let’s grow it! Let’s expand the M3 Initiative statewide. The State of Michigan is ready to serve as a connector between the Navy and our network of 31 Tribal and community colleges across Michigan. Together, we can train thousands of Michiganders to do what they do best—GSD—Get Ship Done!

Now, let’s talk about planes. We are the world leader in both commercial and military aviation. We’re home to industry giants and manufacturers up and down the supply chain. We have a strong network of allies around the globe in this space, including the UK’s Midlands Aerospace Alliance, who I met with 2 weeks ago. Our air superiority is second to none. But we face serious economic headwinds as our adversaries catch up.

Globally, we’reshort17,000jets and plane travel shows no sign of slowing down, with an all-time high of 5.2 billion passengers last year. Because of the shortage, however, airlines are using older planes for longer, for an average of 14 years. There’s a huge opportunity here to meet demand and make a profit while maximizing market share. 

China gets it. In fact, it’s their plan. They’re rapidly expanding their aviation industry—both military and commercial—and gaining momentum fast. They’re world leaders in drone manufacturing and just the second country, after us, to have two stealth fighter jets… the J-20 and the J-35. China’s largest passenger plane company, the Commercial Aircraft Corporation, COMAC, now makes models competing with the best-selling American-made planes on the market. They are on the verge of challenging Boeing and Airbus as a serious competitor. This should be a wake-up call. 

COMAC, like so many Chinese companies, is funded directly by the Chinese government. This allows them to undercut others on price while plowing billions into R&D. We see the same story playing out in the car market. Over the past decade, Chinese automakers, directly funded by the Chinese government, have muscled their way into countries around the world. They sell at a loss, eat market share, and drive out local competition. In Southeast Asia, Japanese giants like Honda, Toyota, and Nissan are selling fewer cars. In Europe, Volkswagen was forced to close a factory for the first time in its century-long history because of Chinese competition. 

If we don’t hit the throttle while we still lead commercial and military aviation, China will pass us. That’s something we can’t afford. We must protect our lead, and Michigan is ready to do what it takes to win. We can lean on our manufacturing expertise and skilled workforce to boost domestic aviation manufacturing. There’s a lot of precedent here. During World War II, Michigan automakers and suppliers took to the skies. In a matter of months, they shifted from producing cars and trucks for civilians to airplanes, tanks, guns, and shells for GIs.  

A Buick factory won a contract to build 500 engines a month but ended up making 2,000 a month. At Ford’s legendary Willow Run plant, 42,000 Michiganders rolled a B-24 bomber off the line every hour, 24/7, for a grand total of 8,865. And a generation of Rosie the Riveters said, “We Can Do It,” and worked in these factories. We were able to get it done because the federal government set a clear strategy, slashed red tape, and simplified procurement.

When you already know how to make something complicated—like a car—it’s easier to shift your factory to make something else. Domestic manufacturers, whether they’re multinational corporations or small or mid-size companies further up the supply chain, stand ready. If we collaborate at the state and federal level, we can make targeted investments to retool our factories to make planes, plane parts, and drones. We have a manufacturing and innovation ecosystem uniquely suited for modern defense and aerospace needs.

Another contributing factor to our slowing aviation industry, just like with shipbuilding, is a shrinking workforce. Nearly a quarter of American aviation technicians have fewer than five years of experience as a huge wave of retirements hits the market. Experts estimate that by 2028, we’ll be short 37,000 aviation techs. 

At the state level, we’re doing our part. We’re making bipartisan investments in Selfridge Air National Guard Base, a key defense hub and economic anchor that supports thousands of jobs and hundreds of military families in Macomb County. I established a new statewide Office of Defense and Aerospace Innovation. And in the heart of Detroit, we set up a Transportation Innovation Zone, where aviation and aerospace startups can easily test new technologies in public airspace. 

But we can’t do all this alone. We need help from Washington. We need a coordinated, national strategy and bipartisan investment to grow America’s aviation industry and workforce. Otherwise, China will eat our lunch. If we are proactive, we can create tens of thousands of good-paying jobs, protect our national security, and lower costs for travelers around the world and here at home. Let’s make it easier for aviation and aerospace to thrive in America. Let’s put a ruthless emphasis on outcomes over process. Let’s build and innovate to own the sky.

I started today by speaking about big manufacturing products. Now let’s focus on the smallest. Let’s talk about semiconductor chips. Chips are the brains behind so much of what makes our lives work. They’re in our phones, cars, and appliances and critical for AI technology. Decades ago, we invented chips, and we used to make them too. But then, we just ceded ground to other nations, especially China. For a long time, we made zero logic and D-RAM chips, two of the most advanced types that we all rely on. 

Thankfully, Republicans, Democrats, and industry leaders came together to do something about it. During President Trump’s first term, we started a serious national conversation about semiconductor manufacturing. A few years later, Congress passed bipartisan legislation to bring chip manufacturing back home. I’m grateful to so many in our congressional delegation who fought hard to get it across the finish line.

Now, because we worked together, we’re seeing real progress. An example from Michigan… Hemlock Semiconductor expanded in their hometown near Saginaw, with a new facility that will create more than 1,000jobs. Hemlock is one of the world’s largest producers of hyper-pure polysilicon. You’re never more than a few feet away from Michigan-made polysilicon because it’s in nearly every electronic device in the world. 

Nationally, we’re now on track to make 20% of the world’s logic chips and 10% of D-RAM chips, up from zero. We’re building 17 chip fabrication facilities, including one from each of the world’s five best and biggest manufacturers. Altogether, they have committed to investing more than $600 billion in America, and I know that there are still more in the pipeline. These chip fabs often support thousands of jobs during construction and thousands more permanent, long-term local jobs once complete.

Both Republicans and Democrats agree that we must stay on the bleeding edge of chip technology. The President even mentioned chips in his speech to Congress and set up the new United States Investment Accelerator to oversee semiconductor projects. We have the momentum right now, and we cannot risk taking a step back. Let’s continue our strong, bipartisan efforts at the state and national level to make more chips.

The bottom line… when America innovates and when America builds… America wins. We all want manufacturing to be stronger than ever. Nobody wants that more than Michiganders, who pride ourselves on the things we make and grow. As I’ve laid out, we need a consistent national strategy united around the new economic consensus that a lot of Democrats and Republicans now share. Let’s make stuff in America. If that’s what we believe… let’s celebrate good policy, whoever it comes from, and point out bad policy, wherever it comes from.

There’s a lot more common ground here than we think. While partisanship has infected every aspect of our lives, driven by opportunistic politicians, cynical media figures, and addictive algorithms… our people are not as divided as our politics. I really believe that. People from every walk of life call Michigan home. We don’t always agree, but we move forward together. That is the source of our strength. 

That’s why I came to DC. Building an industrial economy is no small task. It’s thousands of small tasks, and each of us—government, industry, entrepreneurs, workers—are part of the same pit crew. If we all do our jobs, we can get America back on the track better and faster than ever. Don’t just take my word for it. Talk to Roger Penske, a successful businessman whose $43 billion, 74,000 employee company is headquartered in Michigan. In addition to his thriving commercial trucking business, Penske runs the world’s leading motorsports enterprise. He knows what it takes to run a good pit crew.

At the Detroit Grand Prix, a Penske crew runs a full systems check, replaces four tires, and pumps in 20 gallons of fuel in 6.2 seconds to get their car moving towards the checkered flag as quickly as possible. They work together, use a data driven strategy, and source the best products they can to win. That’s what we should do too.

I know there’s been a lot of talk recently about “government efficiency.” But all the proposed solutions have been about firing people from the crew or stripping away critical parts. That’s no way to win a race. If we really want to win—and keep winning—we need to reinvest in our crew and build better parts. In our darkest hours, that’s exactly what we did. 

When America entered World War II, we didn’t have the industrial capacity to fight a two-front war in Europe and the Pacific, let alone win. So, we built the Arsenal of Democracy. It was the most successful collaboration between government and industry and workers ever. When the Allies won the war, half a million Michiganders flooded into downtown Detroit to celebrate, realizing the part they all played in saving the world.

Now, let’s fast forward to just a few years ago. As we faced a deadly, global pandemic, the President launched Operation Warp Speed. We moved faster than anyone thought possible to create, test, make, and ship billions of shots of lifesaving vaccine. I still remember the pride we felt watching the Pfizer vaccine get packed into trucks rolling out of Portage, Michigan. People stood outside by the side of the road in the bitter cold, waving the stars and stripes, proud of what we had done. It was an extraordinary achievement that showed us what’s possible when we work together, streamline government, and allow America to do what it does best… innovate and build.