“Gov. Whitmer knows exactly what she’s doing. She’s the longest-serving elected politician in state government, so she’s seen this carnival ride before,” Markkanen said. “She dutifully contributed to her retirement for over 20 years, resulting in more than $2 million in retirement savings paid for by Michigan taxpayers. Compound interest and consistent investment pay off. But when it comes to other people’s money, she has no interest in making sacrifices today to plan for the future. She’s term-limited. She won’t be around when the bills come due.”

“In a year where the state is seemingly able to throw money at everything that moves, the governor needs to explain why she’s proposing cutting the only executive agency that safeguards taxpayers’ dollars,” said Markkanen, R-Hancock. “She has shown zero ability to effectively govern over Michigan without allowing widespread fraud and mismanagement to run rampant right under her nose. Now is a time to make government more transparent and effective, not fire the auditors.”