Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said Wednesday that she will travel to Washington D.C. soon to lobby federal officials against proposed big cuts to the U.S. Department of Education and new tariffs against Canada and other trading partners.

As a new round of Trump administration tariffs are set to go ahead early next month, Whitmer said the nascent trade war is unwelcome on both sides of the Michigan-Canadian border.

“Indiscriminate tariffs on our allies — they’re going to put Michiganders out of work,” she said. “They’re going to hit Michigan harder than any other state and drive up costs for consumers.

“I know the business community is very worried too,” she said. “They want stability and predictability — and I think all these things present a lot of challenges — and so I’m going to be in D.C. trying to lobby on behalf of the state of Michigan. I hope people continue to raise their voices because they’ve got to hear us loud and clear.”

Last week, business leaders said they were relieved with the delay in the first round of Trump administration tariff hikes but pleaded for a permanent moratorium.

“While another postponement of the White House’s proposed tariffs on automotive-related trade between the U.S. and Canada and Mexico is somewhat of a reprieve for the industry, damage has already been done,” said Glenn Stevens Jr., vice president of automotive and mobility initiatives at the Detroit Regional Chamber. “For an industry that operates in three-to-five-year product cycles, this level of day-to-day uncertainty is debilitating.”

The Whitmer administration did not immediately share a travel date or itinerary. Canada and the European Union are responding to steel and aluminum tariffs that could place a burden on U.S. manufacturing. Michigan also faces a freeze in disaster funding.

Whitmer also said she hopes to avert deep cuts to the U.S. Department of Education that would dramatically affect Michigan schools. Those could include funds to help low-income students who are struggling and for special education services.

On the campaign trail, President Donald Trump promised to make the federal government more efficient. So far that effort has led to attempts to shut down diversity programs.

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Now, the president is reportedly weighing an executive order to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education.

State Superintendent Michael Rice says the president’s actions are attempts to marginalize certain segments of the population.

“The president isn’t trying to return control of schools to states and local districts, which have always been in charge of education. He’s trying to exercise control over who is served and how what gets taught and what does not,” Rice said.

Michigan schools get over $2 billion from the federal government per year. Most of Trump’s efforts to shut down federal agencies have been stopped by lawsuits.  

Other headlines for Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025:

• The Detroit Public Library is inviting patrons to celebrate Valentine’s Day with a Bridgerton-style afternoon ball from 2-4 p.m. this Sunday at the Main Library. 
• The Michigan Science Center’s planetarium is getting an upgrade thanks to a $2.5 million grant from the Ballmer Group. 
• The Center for Success Network and the Oak Park Public Library are partnering to host a party celebrating the life and work of Langston Hughes. The event, also celebrating the start of Black Children’s Book Week, is set for 6:30-8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 21, and will take place at the Oak Park Library.
• The Station at Michigan Central is hosting “Great Migrations at the Station” this Black History Month. The series explores the stories of Black Americans who arrived in Detroit between 1910 and 1970 and helped shape the city. 

Do you have a community story we should tell? Let us know in an email at detroiteveningreport@wdet.org.