FIGHTING Government overreach AND exTREME coviD-19 Restrictions

When Governor Whitmer shut the state down in March of 2021 and locked people in their homes, Thomas was one of the only Republicans in the legislature to voice opposition.  From the very beginning he pointed out that this was an infringement of our basic constitutional rights.  The same rights Thomas swore an oath to defend while serving in both the United States Marine Corps and the Michigan Legislature.

Thomas supported suing the Whitmer administration for unilaterally extending the state of emergency after it expired on April 20, 2020.  This lawsuit eventually resulted in the Michigan Supreme Court ruling that the governor's use of the Emergency Powers of the Governor and Emergency Management Acts were both unconstitutional.  Unfortunately, after the Supreme Court decision, Whitmer used the Public Health Code to continue her endless lockdowns and unilateral actions. 

In January of 2021, once Thomas became the chair of the budget committee in the Michigan House, a new approach was used to restore the balance of power in Lansing.  Thomas told Governor Whitmer, “She would get as much input in the budget as the people of Michigan get in how they are governed.”  This position was held for months, and the governor was only allowed into budget negotiations once the statewide restrictions were clearly coming to an end.

Thomas is a strong believer in limited government and was not afraid to speak up and show some backbone in the face of government overreach.