LANSING, Mich. (AP) \u2014 Plans to build a semiconductor manufacturing plant in Michigan have fallen through and Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said Wednesday that \u201cmassive economic uncertainty\u201d is to blame.<\/p>\n
Bringing the company to Michigan was a key goal for Whitmer, a Democrat and potential 2028 presidential candidate who is in her final years as governor of the battleground state.<\/p>\n
Domestic manufacturing is a priority of President Donald Trump’s second administration and the president has leveraged tariffs as a way to incentivize companies to build and stay in America. While Whitmer did not mention Trump by name in her remarks, she pointed the finger at his tariffs that have shaken up the economy periodically this year.<\/p>\n
\u201cTheir board came to this decision amid national economic turmoil, which is at risk of worsening amid threats of even higher tariffs,\u201d Whitmer said in a statement.<\/p>\n
Whitmer did not name the company but state records show California-based technology firm Sandisk Corp. was considering the sprawling 1,300-acre site near the city of Flint and forecasted 9,400 jobs and 5,000 construction jobs as a result.<\/p>\n
Sandisk declined to comment on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
The news quickly set off dueling political statements from Republicans and Democrats in the state.<\/p>\n
The Trump administration is using tariffs and other tactics to bring manufacturing in critical areas like semiconductors back to the U.S., White House spokesperson Kush Desai said in a statement in response to Whitmer\u2019s remarks.<\/p>\n
Desai pointed to new semiconductor development in Texas<\/a> and Arizona<\/a> this year as wins garnered by the Trump administration in the chips and technology industry.<\/p>\n Other Democrats were quick to attribute the loss in Michigan to Trump\u2019s economic policies Wednesday.<\/p>\n \u201cTrump\u2019s abandonment of long-term investments and chaotic tariff practices are not only raising costs, they just killed 10,000 good-paying jobs,\u201d U.S. Rep. Kristen McDonald Rivet, a Democrat who represents the area, said in a statement. \u201cThis could have been a game-changer for mid-Michigan\u2019s economy.\u201d<\/p>\n Michigan House of Representatives Speaker Matt Hall, a Republican, said he supports Trump’s strategy of relying on tariffs and incentives in the tax and spending bill to bring manufacturing development to America, not overseas.<\/p>\n \u201cWe simply need state leaders who are focused on making sure Michigan is the best possible place to build and grow,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Sandisk, known for making flash drives and memory cards, was looking to break ground on the project in 2025, according to documents provided by the Michigan Economic Development Corporation.<\/p>\n Michigan offered Sandisk $1.925 billion in cash grants, $250 million in workforce development funding and about $3.76 billion in tax breaks, according to documents dated to August 2024.<\/p>\n