Six years ago, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer ran for office on the promise that she would bring transparency and accountability to Michigan’s government. Instead, she has spent her days ensuring the public is completely disconnected from it. It wasn’t enough the state ranks near dead last nationally regarding government openness. Democrats rubberstamped their ability to shroud […]

“I’m not sure if it’s incompetence or a disregard for the wellbeing of our kids, but this audit shows that leadership within MDHHS is incapable of caring for the children who need us most,” said Kunse, R-Clare. “These kids were failed by their parents. Many of them were failed by another guardian as well. Yet, when someone finally calls about the abuse, the state sits on their hands for three days before looking into it. That could be three more days without meals or three more days of abuse. All we can hope is that a failure to respond didn’t result in a child not making it three more days.”

“Anyone who is left picking up the pieces after this tornado should know they’re not alone,” said Kunse, R-Clare. “I may not have all the solutions, but my staff and I can be the first point of contact for folks looking for answers. If someone at the state can help, we’ll make sure you know who to call.”

“We can all stand to learn something from a heroic fighter like Sgt. Webber,” said Kunse, R-Clare. “The man was willing to sacrifice everything on our behalf. His dedication deserves recognition for years to come. This highway naming is a well-deserved honor for an American hero from Northern Michigan.”

“It was great to see everyone come together and support Ele’s Place,” Kunse said. “This organization does fantastic work in supporting our young people. Our donations will go a long way in aiding those efforts.”

“Our local roads are crumbling, yet Democrats have shown little interest in making real investments in repairing them,” said Kunse, R-Clare. “Fixing interstates and highways is nice and all, but the people see right through the governor’s phony attempt to claim those projects as tackling the entire problem. Our roads are costing people money; it’s as simple as that. Every day Democrats ignore this crisis another family is facing thousands of dollars in vehicle repairs after losing a fight with a bathtub-sized pothole.”

“Last year was a success, but this year we want to fill Jackson Field,” said Kunse, R-Clare. “Things can get tense in Lansing, but we’re all here because we want to make things better. The Legislative Softball Game allows us to throw politics aside, embrace bipartisanship, and raise money for a really important organization.”

“I’d entertain a proposal to allow the UIA to keep a portion of the money they recoup from ineligible recipients to help deal with staffing shortages,” Kunse said. “But that would require them to try and recoup some of the money first, and they’ve apparently given up on that. At this point the agency has lost every inkling of the public’s trust. No sane person would turn around and throw more money at an agency that just lost nearly 10 billion dollars.”

“Pigs must be flying somewhere because the House Oversight Committee is about to have two substantive committee meetings in the same number of weeks,” said Kunse, R-Clare. “UIA leadership must answer for the fact that they allowed billions of fraudulent payments over two years. I’m sorry, but when the words billions and fraud are used in the same sentence, I’m not just going to blindly believe some new director when they say all the problems have been fixed.”

“I’m curious to know what Michigan Democrats think the auditor general should have done differently in this situation,” said Kunse, R-Clare. “Are they proposing he should have ignored a request from an elected official representing 90,000 people? The auditor general has the job he does because he is the state’s trusted expert in conducting internal reviews of government agencies.”

“Sgt. Webber is a true American hero who sacrificed everything for our country,” said Kunse, R-Clare. “I’m honored to play a small part in ensuring Matthew’s service will be remembered for generations.”