December 2, 2025
Op-ed by Allen Park City Councilmember Gary Schlack, National Guard Veteran
Michigan has many great things we are known for, and I’m proud to say, car manufacturing leads the list. Michigan is the engine that built America. From Detroit’s factories to Downriver’s shop floors, our people helped build the middle class, powered the nation, and proved that hard work and innovation drive progress. We take it personally when our auto industry is unfairly treated by policies coming out of Washington D.C.
As a U.S. National Guard Veteran, I swore an oath to defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic. Every elected official takes that same oath. When I see policies that destroy jobs, raise costs, and weaken our economy, I take it as my duty to speak out—for my community, my state, and my country.
The Republican One Big Beautiful Bill Act isn’t beautiful—it’s a blunder. It gutted clean-energy tax credits, derailed EV manufacturing, and drove away billions in investment. Families across Michigan are paying the price.
At the end of September, Fortescue canceled a $210 million EV battery plant in Detroit that would have created 600 union jobs and transformed the historic Fisher Body site into a clean-energy hub. The company cited, “current policy settings” and the elimination of key incentives in the Republican bill.
Michigan fought hard for that project—offering more than $23 million in state and local support. None of it was paid out because the project died before it began. It’s not just Detroit; a battery startup in Holland shut down and laid off dozens of workers. Across the country, more than 64,000 clean energy jobs have disappeared since this Administration took office.
Meanwhile, electric vehicle sales are booming—over 438,000 sold in the third quarter of 2025, a record high, according to Kelley Blue Book The demand is there. What’s missing is leadership.
Michigan didn’t build the world’s greatest auto industry to hand it over to China because of bad policy and broken promises. We can’t compete globally if we continue to sabotage ourselves at home.
We must fight for working families, veterans, and small businesses across Downriver and defend our auto industry, protect union jobs, and focus on practical solutions that strengthen our economy, rebuild infrastructure, and make government work for the people again.
Downriver deserves better, all the people of Michigan deserve better. Strong leadership standing up for policies that build the middle class and make our economy thrive is what we need.