WAYNE COUNTY, Mich. – Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer and U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell talked about how the recently implemented tariffs are impacting auto dealers, especially in Michigan.
Whitmer and Dingell appeared at a roundtable event in Wayne County on April 23, 2025, to discuss with auto dealers the issues they have been facing. The meeting was closed off to the media.
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After the meeting, the governor and congresswoman spoke to the press regarding the impact tariffs have had on the auto industry.
“Dealers are the backbone of our communities,” said Dingell. “People also forget the sales tax is an important part of the revenue that comes into the state.”
She continued to say there are a lot of issues auto dealers are facing, but tariffs are definitively impacting both the supply and consumers.
Dingell said dealerships would have a good sales week but face uncertainty the following week.
“Every business needs certainty,” Dingell said. “There are more questions than there are answers right now.”
“You cannot run a business in chaos,” said Dingell.
Whitmer said the lack of an articulated goal contributes to the uncertainty auto dealers face as tariffs are implemented.
“The whipsaw of getting pulled back and forth on tariff policy from Washington D.C. without any real end goal that is clear to everyone with a change, sometimes multiple times in a single day, is really having an impact on this industry, and that’s why we wanted to make sure we got the open dialogue. We’re listening.”
The full interview can be viewed below:
