BATTLE CREEK, Mich. (WOOD) — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer spent part of her morning in Battle Creek on Friday, touring a vaccination center at the downtown YMCA.

After her tour, she took questions from the media and was asked about Thursday’s veto letter regarding Senate Bill 1.

The bill would have limited the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services emergency orders to 28 days. Then the Legislature would have to approve the continuation on such orders.

Whitmer said in her letter that she would not agree to that, because pandemics don’t last for just 28 days. On Friday, she elaborated.

“At the end of the day, this is a global pandemic and these were powers vested in the executive office because one person ultimately has to make the decision, and frankly needs to execute quickly and be nimble,” Whitmer said.

“That’s how our system works,” she continued. “That’s how every state system works, that’s how our federal system works. To say that every 28 days we should be able to have barter with 148 legislators based on a bunch of individual agendas as opposed to be centered around the public health, I think doesn’t make a lot of sense.”

Whitmer said despite the veto, she and the state Legislature had accomplished a number of things together in the last year, despite the difficulties of responding to a pandemic.