Rep. Mark Schauer (D-MI), who has jumped in the race, demanded that Snyder take a page from Arizona’s Jan Brewer and start vetoing “every new bill that comes to his desk starting today until the Senate passes this critical legislation.”
The Michigan House has passed the bill but the Republican Senate majority leader stonewalled it, drawing the ire of Snyder and Democrats who support the expansion. The expansion, made possible by Obamacare at minimal cost to the state, stands to insure nearly half a million additional Michigan residents.
Schauer’s full statement:
“Gov. Snyder’s failure to convince members of his own party to even bring this common-sense legislation up for a vote demonstrates a clear lack of leadership on his part. By 2016, it is estimated that this bill will support up to 18,000 new jobs across the state, and increase economic activity in Michigan by over $2 billion. It’s time to get this done.
“Today I’m calling on Gov. Snyder to exercise his power under the Michigan constitution and immediately convene a special session of the Legislature to pass Medicaid expansion legislation. Moreover, I’m calling on the governor to veto every new bill that comes to his desk starting today until the Senate passes this critical legislation. The clock is ticking. If Lansing can’t get this done, billions of our hard-earned Michigan tax dollars will go to other states. Health care coverage for nearly 400,000 Michiganders is on the line, and our state needs real leadership from our governor to get it done, not more excuses and empty rhetoric.”
Snyder has asked Michigan residents to encourage the Senate to return and pass the expansion.
Photo: Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder, flanked by Senate Majority Leader Randy Richardville R-Monroe, left, and Lt. Gov. Brian Calley, right, prepares to deliver his State of the State address to a joint session of the House and Senate in Lansing, Mich., Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2012. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)
