Press Releases

House Passes Flint Aid Package, Huizenga led-effort to Strengthen Great Lakes EconomyToday, Congressman Bill Huizenga (MI-02) released the following statement after supporting multiple bipartisan bills to keep the government funded, strengthen Michigan's "Blue Economy," and provide aid to Flint:

"By passing Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act, Congress is holding the federal government accountable to communities in West Michigan and across the Great Lakes region," said Huizenga. "Not only does this important legislation permanently prioritize funding for the Great Lakes Navigational System, it goes a step further by ensuring that a greater portion of the revenues intended for water infrastructure and harbor dredging from the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund actually get used for that purpose. Ports and harbors across the Great Lakes are engines of economic growth that generate over $18 billion in economic activity and support 130,000 good-paying jobs, and this bill will strengthen Michigan's 'Blue Economy' even further."

"What happened in Flint is a failure of government at all levels," said Huizenga. "My focus has been on advancing a bipartisan solution to help the people of Flint recover. I am proud to see my colleagues in the Michigan delegation put party affiliation aside, unify, and focus the conversation in Congress on achieving meaningful and positive results for Flint. I believe the legislation passed today achieves that goal."

Back in September, Rep. Huizenga authored an amendment to permanently prioritize Army Corps funding for the Great Lakes Navigation System (GLNS). The Great Lakes System is a critical international waterway that extends from the western end of Lake Superior to the Gulf of St. Lawrence on the Atlantic Ocean, a distance of over 2,400 miles. The U.S. portion of the system includes 140 harbors and over 600 miles of maintained navigation channels.