Lansing A business owned by Michigan Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey has been approved for $1.7 million more in federal assistance as Democrats argue that he s not moving quickly enough to sign off on COVID-19 aid provided to the state as a whole.
Shirkey, R-Clarklake, is the owner and founder of Orbitform, a Jackson-based engineering business, according to his Senate website. The U.S. Small Business Administration authorized a $1.7 million loan for Orbitform through the Paycheck Protection Program on Jan. 21, according to data disclosed by the agency.
Orbitform received a $1.8 million loan in April 2020 through the program, which provides money to help businesses keep their workers employed during the COVID-19 pandemic. The loans can be forgiven if employee and compensation levels are maintained.
Michigan GOP rejects center for hard right | US | The Journal Gazette
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Once the mainstream model, Michigan GOP goes hard right | News, Sports, Jobs
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By Thomas Beaumont and David Eggert
The Associated Press
LANSING Josh Venable, a longtime Michigan GOP operative and chief of staff to former U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, can trace the arc of the state s Republican Party clearly. This was the state where to be Republican was defined by Gerald Ford and George Romney, Venable said, referring to the moderate former president and former governor.
Now, he said, it s defined by Mike Shirkey, the state Senate majority leader who was overheard calling the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol riot a hoax ; Meshawn Maddock, the new co-chair of the state party who backed former President Donald Trump s false claims of voter fraud; and the Proud Boys.