Meeting with Constituents

Last Friday, I had some time between meetings, so I walked outside to speak with the weekly protestors outside my office in Holland. I fielded questions for roughly 45 minutes on a variety of topics including my support of President Trump, Social Security, tariffs, DOGE, education, and the debt. While there wasn’t much agreement, especially with one individual who claimed the assassination attempt on President Trump in Pennsylvania was “faked,” I appreciate everyone who took the time to exercise their first amendment rights!

Calling Out the Governor's Harbor-Killing Mandate 

Last week, I sent a letter to Governor Whitmer regarding the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy’s (EGLE) vague, new policy requiring the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to test for PFAS in Michigan harbors before dredging. There has been a critical lack of communication with communities as well as on the specifics regarding the PFAS standards. The Army Corps recently informed my office that their headquarters will not authorize PFAS testing until the State of Michigan defines the threshold for acceptable levels. Without this clarification from the state, new dredging cannot occur. The inability to remove material from inner harbors – where freighters deliver aggregate material – threatens imminent shoaling, harbor closures, and delivery of critical construction materials. 
 
I am urging EGLE to halt its implementation until the impacts can be further discussed and defined so that dredging activities can resume as needed. As Co-Chair of the Great Lakes Task Force and a founding member of the PFAS Task Force, I understand the threat of PFAS in our communities. Our efforts to combat PFAS contamination, however, are undermined by vague regulatory requirements.
 
If harbors across Michigan, including Grand Haven, Holland, South Haven, and St. Joseph, cannot be dredged, shoaling could block cargo ships and cripple our local economies up and down the lakeshore. Additionally, if aggregate material is not able to be shipped in, it will dramatically raise the taxpayer cost of infrastructure improvements, especially for roads. We cannot allow this to happen.
 
 You can watch ABC57’s coverage of this important story below.

Financial Services Committee Update: Bipartisan Stablecoin Bill Passes

Earlier this week, the House Financial Services Committee held a markup that lasted over 13 hours, but we were able to pass some great bipartisan bills! Congress and regulators should recognize the unique nature of the innovations stablecoins provide and establish a regulatory framework that targets the activity and not the technology. 

Near the end of the night, I went live on Facebook to talk about the work we’ve been doing.

Across the 4th District

On Saturday, I had the opportunity to speak at the Berrien County Veteran Services' Vietnam War 50th Commemoration. During the event, nearly 100 veterans were welcomed home and thanked for their service to our country with a roll call and pinning ceremony. After the event, I did a Facebook live with the Director of the Veterans Service Office, Maureen Adams, who put together this wonderful event. You can watch our conversation below!

Later that day, I toured the washout site along Lakeshore Drive in Saugatuck Township with local leaders and members of the Allegan County Road Commission. The issue has been slowly deteriorating since 1988, threatening the structural safety of a portion of the road and reducing access for emergency services to several houses.

Earlier this year, the road commission applied for a federal grant to help reroute a section of the roadway further inland. I was happy to provide a letter of support for the grant request.

This week, I visited a leading manufacturer in Calhoun County, DENSO Manufacturing Michigan, Inc., to tour the facility and learn more about their operations here in Southwest Michigan.

I then met with Calhoun County Sheriff Steve Hinkley and Chief Deputy Michael Farmer at the Calhoun County Justice Center in Battle Creek. Calhoun County has a long history of successfully working with ICE. While visiting the Justice Center, I toured the area where they are holding individuals illegally in the United States that have been detained by ICE. Thank you to the men and women working tirelessly to keep our community safe!

Poll Results: Repowering Palisades Nuclear Power Plant

Recently, I sent an email to residents across Michigan's 4th District asking you to respond to a question about the repowering of the Palisades Nuclear Power Plant in Van Buren County. Thank you to everyone who participated and responded to the poll.  
 
70.8% of respondents said they support the efforts to repower Palisades Nuclear Power Plant, while 23.4% said they did not support this effort and 5.8% responded with unsure or other.

Order of the Knights of Orange Nassau

It was an honor to be decorated with the Order of the Knights of Orange Nassau from His Majesty the King-Willem Alexander of the Netherlands for my service and contributions to the Congressional Dutch Caucus. Because of the strong ties between West Michigan and the Netherlands, I served as Co-Chair of the Dutch Caucus from the start of my time in Congress in 2011 until the beginning of this year. I am grateful for the time I spent leading this caucus and look forward to continuing to strengthen the important relationship between our two counties.

Thank you for reading this edition of the Huizenga Huddle! If you have a comment you would like to share about the Huddle or another topic being discussed in Washington, please don't hesitate to visit Huizenga.House.Gov and send me an email!