SE Oakland News

Senator Aric Nesbitt Criticizes Governor Whitmer’s Overseas Travel Amid Michigan Budget Negotiations

Michigan State Senator Aric Nesbitt has publicly criticized Governor Gretchen Whitmer for extending her overseas diplomatic trip as the state faces looming budget negotiations. Through a series of posts on X (formerly Twitter) between September 8 and September 9, 2025, Nesbitt questioned the governor’s priorities during a critical period for state government.

On September 8, Nesbitt shared a statement he said was from the office of Governor Whitmer regarding her decision to extend her trip to Germany after visiting Japan and Singapore. He wrote: "Just received this statement from the office of @GovWhitmer letting us know she’s decided to extend her trip to Japan and Singapore and will now be heading to Germany. How about we leave diplomatic negotiations to President Trump and you can come back and negotiate the state".

Later that day, he reiterated his position in another post: "Instead of negotiating with Germany, the Governor should leave diplomacy to President Trump and come back to Michigan to negotiate a state budget."

The following morning, on September 9, Nesbitt again addressed Whitmer directly via social media: "Hey @GovWhitmer President Trump has negotiations with Germany handled. How about you come back to America and negotiate Michigan's budget before Democrats in the Senate shut the government down."

Nesbitt’s comments come as Michigan approaches key deadlines for its annual budget process. The governor's international travel has previously drawn scrutiny when scheduled close to major legislative events or fiscal deadlines.

Governor Gretchen Whitmer is serving her second term as Michigan’s governor. International trips by governors are often undertaken with economic development or trade missions in mind but can draw criticism if perceived as interfering with pressing domestic responsibilities.

According to public records, past disagreements between Michigan’s executive branch and legislature over budgeting have occasionally led to partial shutdowns or temporary funding measures while negotiations continued.