Wednesday July 30

Amid tariff-driven price increases, more families are struggling to buy books, shoes, backpacks, and more 

LANSING, Mich. -  –Today, Governor Gretchen Whitmer highlighted the impacts of tariffs on Michigan families as they get ready for the upcoming school year. As tariff-driven inflation skyrockets, major back-to-school retailers such as Walmart, Target, Best Buy, Amazon, and Costco have announced they will continue to increase their prices, taking more money out of hardworking, middle-class Americans’ wallets.  

“Michigan families are already facing high costs, and these tariffs are making it even harder for them to afford essential school supplies,” said Governor Whitmer. “Prices for shoes, water bottles, clothes, pencils, juice boxes, laptops, and other necessities are rising, making back-to-school shopping more expensive than ever and making it harder for parents and educators to supply kids with the tools they need to succeed. I will continue to work with anyone to lower costs, put more money in working families’ pockets, and protect Michigan's families from these harmful tariffs.” 

“As we approach the new school year, it's disheartening to see tariffs driving up the cost of essential supplies for our students,” said Lt. Governor Garlin Gilchrist II. “Parents and educators are now facing higher prices for everyday items. Governor Whitmer and I will keep working with anyone to lower costs and ensure every child in Michigan can focus on what matters: learning and growing.” 

Key figures show how tariffs are impacting educators and parents as they prepare for school: 

• Roughly 20% of back-to-school shoppers said buying supplies for the new year is straining their budgets, according to a new report by Bankrate.  

• A separate report by Intuit Credit Karma found that 39% of parents said they can’t afford back-to-school shopping this year, and 56% are cutting back on nonessential purchases altogether to save money.  

• According to a report by Deloitte, 52% of parents say they are anxious about the potential for higher prices on back-to-school items and plan to cut back on other expenses, such as dining out and entertainment, to make room in their budgets for back-to-school items.  

• Back-to-school prices are set to rise 12-15% as tariffs hit school supplies.  

• Paper prices have jumped up 120% and are predicted to rise as high as 200%.  

• The Consumer Technology Association expects laptop and table prices to jump by 46% to 68%.  

• 55% of respondents expect their average retail price to rise between 6%-10% in 2025 due to tariffs.  

• Warehouse inventory levels are down 6% month over month, leading to less inventory for the back-to-school season.  

• There are more empty shipping containers sitting in the U.S., contributing to inventory shortages.  

• Walmart and Target said they plan to hike prices, while Best Buy said they already have.  

• Bright Data, tracking prices of 230 items for NBC News, found that about 29% of them saw price hikes, with an average increase of nearly 6%.  

• According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Producer Price Index, pencils and backpacks are up 2.9% and 4.1% year-over-year since 2024, respectively.  

• Prices of three popular stainless-steel water bottles by Hydro Flask, Stanley, and Owala are increasing at Amazon and Walmart, likely due to the 25% tariff on global steel.  

• Smartphones saw a sharp price spike, increasing by an average of 15% at Best Buy.  

• Of the six clothing items NBC News is tracking at Walmart, four saw price hikes, together rising by an average of more than 57% over the past month.  

• K-12 construction vendors may need to raise project prices by 6 to 8 percent.  

• The nation’s largest school bus manufacturer is raising prices at least 4 percent across all products because of tariffs.  

Governor Whitmer reiterated her commitment to fighting for Michigan's working families and ensuring that every child has the resources they need for a successful school year.

-courtesy story

Lifesaving health care programs that have lowered costs, grown the economy over six decades now under greatest threat in their history

LANSING, Mich. – Today, Governor Gretchen Whitmer and Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist II issued the following statements on the 60th anniversary of Medicaid and Medicare. Combined, these programs cover more than 1 in 3 Americans, including 67 million older adults and people with disabilities, and half of all children. Recently, Republicans in Washington, D.C. passed the largest cut to health care in American history, which will kick millions of people off their health care.  

Governor Whitmer Statement 

“Medicare and Medicaid have made a huge difference in the lives of generations of Americans, and as we celebrate their 60th anniversary, both programs are under attack, threatening the health and wellbeing of our family, friends, and neighbors. Here in Michigan, we will work to protect access to quality, affordable health care.  

“A few weeks ago, Republicans in Washington passed and signed into law the largest cut to health care ever, a move that will kick hundreds of thousands of Michiganders off their health care, increase hunger, worsen poverty, and jack up costs for everyone even if they do not use Medicaid or Medicare.  

“Together, these programs cover millions of Michiganders, including 3 in 5 nursing home residents and nearly half the births in the state. The programs have successfully driven our uninsured rate to one of the lowest in the nation, reduced poverty, and improved the health of Michiganders. 

“Today, as we commemorate six decades of these lifesaving programs, we should honor the historic role that Michiganders like Representative John Dingell, who presided over the U.S. House as they passed Medicare, played to protect and expand health care.  

“Let’s continue taking action to lower costs for families and expand access to quality, affordable health care.”

Lieutenant Governor Gilchrist Statement

“Throughout their six-decade existence, Medicare and Medicaid have helped countless Americans access quality, affordable health care, raise their families, and live healthy, prosperous lives. Medicare and Medicaid have made a difference for working families, seniors, and kids across our state.

“These vital programs have proven time and time again that government works best when it works to make a difference and solve problems for everyone. Our nation succeeds when it makes bold investments in the well-being of its citizens. 

“As Republicans in Washington and Michigan attack access to health care, Governor Whitmer and I will continue to Stand Tall for lower costs and accessible, affordable health care for generations to come.” 

Medicare & Medicaid in Michigan 

• The past:  

• Michigan Medicaid launched in 1966 and quickly enrolled about 600,000 residents.  

• Expanded to cover pregnant women and children in the 1980s.  

• Covered over 1.8 million Michigan residents by 2010.  

• Healthy Michigan Plan added about 700,000 adults starting in 2014.  

• Cut the uninsured rate among children to under 3% by 2020.  

• The present:  

• Reduces uncompensated care and sustains Michigan’s health care workforce.  

• Serves as a vital lifeline for rural and vulnerable communities.

• Coverage for more than 2.6 million Michigan residents.

• 1 million children.  

• 300,000 people with disabilities.  

• 168,000 seniors.  

• Coverage for 1 in 4 Michiganders.  

• Coverage for 3 in 5 nursing home residents.  

• Covers 40-45% of state’s births.  

• Medicare ensures Michiganders in rural areas have access to care—accounting for 50% of revenue for hospitals in rural areas.  

• In Michigan, 69 percent of enrollees said that Medicaid helped them do their job better.  

Key Numbers About the Recently Passed One Big, Beautiful Bill

• Will lead to loss of health care coverage for 14 million Americans, including hundreds of thousands of Michiganders.

• Cuts nearly $1 trillion from Medicaid to deliver a $1 trillion tax cut for the rich.

• Adds $3.4 trillion to the national deficit.

Medicaid and Medicare Save Lives, Lower Costs, Grow our Economy 

• Medicare  

• Before Medicare, only 56% of people 65 and over had health insurance—while 75% of people under 65 had health insurance. 

• Before Medicare, 35% of people aged 65 and over lived in poverty. Today, that number has reduced to 10.2%. 

• Former President Harry S. Truman—who had long advocated for national health insurance—enrolled as Medicare’s first beneficiary.

• In just the first year of Medicare, over 19 million people over the age of 65 enrolled in the program, increasing access to care by one-third and decreasing poverty among older and disabled Americans by nearly two-thirds.    

• Today, the uninsured rate for seniors is about 1%, down from 48% in 1963. 

• Those eligible for Medicare are 29.2% less likely to experience food insecurity and 26.2% less likely to have trouble paying their medical bills. 

• The expansion of Medicare in 1973 led to coverage for 9.1 million Americans with disabilities under age 65, totaling 16% of all beneficiaries. 

• Medicare spending accounts for 3.3% of GDP, totaling $489 billion in economic impact. 

• The cost of out-of-pocket spending on insulin has been reduced to $35 per month/prescription under Medicare. 

• Medicaid

• Medicaid covers over 70 million low-income and disabled Americans. 

• Medicaid expansions saved roughly 27,400 lives between 2010 and 2022.  

• Roughly 5-20% of the mortality disparity between high- and low-income Americans are due to a lack of health insurance. States with Medicaid, compared to states without it, saw a 20% reduction in their citizens’ risk of death. 

• Individuals who were covered by Medicaid through expansions under the Affordable Care Act, were 21% less likely to die than their peers without health care coverage. 

• Medicaid costs 30% less for adults and 10% less for children than private insurers, keeping more money in people’s pockets. 

• Medicaid saves just as many lives as seatbelts, 7,5000 lives were saved in expansion states and 5,830 lives would have been saved in non-expansion states. 

• Medicaid increases financial security for low-income Americans 

-courtesy story

LANSING, Mich. – In their first game after roster transactions saw seven players depart and six newcomers arrive, the Lansing Locos (13-18, 49-48) enjoyed a convincing 6-2 victory over the Cedar Rapids Kernels (16-14, 56-40) in front of 4,574 on Tuesday night at Jackson® Field™.

Lansing had entered the series in a funk, losing eight of nine games since the All-Star Break. But the Locos played balanced ball: six different players scored runs, four players drove in runs, four players stole a base, and five pitchers combined to limit the Kernels’ explosive offense to five hits.

Of those Cedar Rapids hits: two came in the second inning, a Brandon Winokur home run for a 1-0 lead, followed by a Danny De Andrade single off starter Steven Echavarria. But De Andrade was caught stealing, and the Kernels were held hitless by Echavarria in the third; Jack Mahoney in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings; Blaze Pontes in the seventh; and Wander Guante in the eighth.

It was not until the ninth inning – after Lansing had taken control of the game with two runs in the third, one in the fifth, one in the sixth and two in the eighth – that Cedar Rapids strung together three straight singles against Mark Adamiak. Adamiak’s next pitch was hit into a double play by Winokur, and a flyout by De Andrade wrapped up the game.

Notable High-A debut performances:

- left fielder Cameron Leary went 1-for-4 with an RBI groundout and a stolen base; Leary arrived in Lansing having stolen 44 bases for Single-A Stockton.

- center fielder Pedro Pineda went 1-for-3 with a sacrifice fly, an RBI single, a run scored, and a tremendous running catch on a Jaime Ferrer drive to deep right-center.

- and third baseman Ben Newton went 1-for-3 with a bunt single on the first Midwest League pitch he saw, scoring the go-ahead run in the third inning on a T.J. Schofield-Sam sacrifice fly.

The trio were the 970th, 971st and 972nd all-time players to suit up for the Lugnuts.

The 973rd will be southpaw Ryan Magdic, who starts a 1 p.m. matinee on Wednesday against Cedar Rapids right-hander Chase Chane. It’s Nuts Day Off at the ballpark, with a special Ferris Bueller Lugnuts Hockey Jersey Giveaway presented by the Michigan Soybean Committee. Gates open at 12 noon. Tickets are available for purchase at the stadium box office, (517) 485-4500 or by clicking here.

-courtesy story