Whitmer to laid-off healthcare worker’s plea for help: ‘Can I buy ya a hotdog?’

Michigan workers have seen one of the worst economic shocks in the country, on top of persistent problems with the state’s unemployment system.

A jobless Michigan healthcare worker approached Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in Detroit Thursday with a plea to fix the state’s unemployment system, as he still had not received any benefits.

The governor’s response: “Can I buy ya a hotdog?”

Footage of the interaction had more than 43,000 views on Twitter as of Friday.

Months into the COVID-19 pandemic and economic downturn, many Michigan workers are still facing difficulty claiming unemployment benefits. At least 130,000 unemployed workers have been left in limbo, according to May 13 testimony from Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency Director Steve Gray.

The state lost 1 million jobs in April alone, including more than 109,000 jobs in the education and healthcare services sector, resulting the highest unemployment rate in the region.