Democratic Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer Thursday extended her state\u2019s lockdown until May 28 and increased her executive powers \u2014 unleashing a torrent of protest from \u2026<\/b>
\nDemocratic Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer Thursday extended her state\u2019s lockdown until May 28 and increased her executive powers \u2014 unleashing a torrent of protest from opponents who want the economy to reopen.
Whitmer said the Republicans who control the state legislature are endangering lives by not keeping the lockdown in place to prevent infection from the coronavirus, Fox News reported.
Protesters stormed the legislature in Lansing \u2014 some armed with rifles \u2014 demanding that the governor loosen the many restrictions she has placed on the lives of people in the state, Fox reported.
\u201cBy refusing to extend the emergency and disaster declaration, Republican lawmakers are putting their heads in the sand and putting more lives and livelihoods at risk,\u201d she said in a statement. \u201cI\u2019m not going to let that happen.\u201d
Whitmer gains more authority with the latest emergency declaration. She can issue executive orders that are not contingent upon legislative approval, according to Fox.
Republicans in the state House and Senate passed resolutions Thursday that seek to limit her authority and reverse her decision to force citizens to stay at home at home. (RELATED: \u2018No Penalty For Authoritarianism\u2019: Tucker Carlson Blasts \u2018Mediocre Politician\u2019 Gretchen Whitmer\u2019s \u2018Power\u2019 Grabs)
Whitmer vowed to veto the bill and any others \u201cthat constrain her ability to protect the people of Michigan from this deadly virus in a timely manner,\u201d The Detroit News reported.
On Apr.15, anti-lockdown protesters brought their message to the front door of Whitmer\u2019s house.
Fox News legal analyst Judge Andrew Napolitano cited Whitmer\u2019s aggressive social distancing measures on a recent \u201cFox & Friends\u201d segment and suggested she not \u201ctreat us as though we are children.\u201d
Whitmer has called abortion a \u201clife sustaining\u201d experience that is essential during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Fox News host Judge Jeanine Pirro called Whitmer \u201ccorrupt\u201d and \u201ctone deaf\u201d for hiring a leftist activist group named Great Lakes Community Engagement to assist the Michigan Department of Health to track people in the state who have become infected with the coronavirus.<\/p>\n