Conversations Across Southwest Michigan
Recently, I hosted a pair of telephone town halls with residents of Michigan’s 4th Congressional District. This format allowed me to reach nearly 100,000 residents over the phone and online from all corners of the district.
The first telephone town hall conversation took place on Friday, March 7th and focused on the issues being discussed in Washington that directly impact seniors. Over the roughly hour-long conversation, I discussed a variety of topics, including protecting Social Security and Medicare to ensure seniors receive the benefits and services they’ve earned.
During the call, Michael from Allegan County said he and his neighbors were unable to get a response from the Social Security Administration. I explained that my office is here to help with issues just like this. Shortly after the call ended, a caseworker in my office reached out to him to get the process started. You can listen to our discussion on Social Security at the link below. |
During the afternoon telephone town hall on Saturday, March 8th, I discussed a wider variety of topics. For example, Holly in Calhoun County asked about how Congress is working to protect the Great Lakes. I shared my efforts to fully fund the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative to defend the ecology and the economy of the region. You can listen to our exchange on this important topic in the clip below. |
As Saturday’s conversation was coming to a close, I spoke with Janet from Ottawa County whose adult child relies on Medicaid to cover the cost of care.
This was a moving conversation that demonstrates why Congress needs to protect Medicaid while addressing improper payments (also called waste, fraud, and abuse) currently in the system. |
Of just the Medicaid payments the federal government audited between 2015 and 2024, $543 billion in improper payments were uncovered. In fact, that may be on the low end. An outside estimate from the Economic Policy Innovation Center, found the total cost of improper payments over the past decade to be more than $1 trillion. We need to eliminate this waste, fraud, and abuse so that the program continues to work for those who need it most. |
Poll Results: Ending Federal Taxes on Social Security
During the telephone town halls, I asked listeners to respond to a question about President Trump's proposal to end taxing Social Security Benefits. Thank you to everyone who participated in both the telephone town hall conversations as well as the poll.
59.7% of respondents said they supported President Trump’s proposal to end taxing Social Security benefits, while 40.3% said they did not support this proposal. |
Voting to Prevent a Government Shutdown
Last week, the House and Senate passed, and President Trump signed into law, legislation to extend funding for the federal government through the remainder of the fiscal year. While a stopgap is not ideal, this measure ensures the federal government is able to continue serving the American people while avoiding an unnecessary, costly shutdown.
As the debate shifts to budget reconciliation, Congress must work to get our country back on the right fiscal track and make better use of taxpayer dollars. Policymakers in Washington should be looking for bipartisan solutions that improve affordability, strengthen our economy, and enhance outcomes for families across all walks of life. |
Advocating for Missile Defense at Fort Custer
On Friday, I sent a letter to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth with Congressmen Tim Walberg, John Moolenaar, and Tom Barrett in support of the development of a future Eastern Continental United States Interceptor Site (CIS) at Fort Custer Training Center, located in Augusta, Michigan. From world-class training grounds to a well-established military community, Michigan is well poised to take on a greater role in contributing to our national defense. The letter urges Secretary Hegseth to fully and appropriately consider Fort Custer as the future home of America’s most consequential mission.
There is a long history of support for Fort Custer from Michigan Delegation Members. Since 1917, Fort Custer has played an integral part in training our Armed Forces for vital national security missions. Now, as the warfighter landscape continues to evolve, Fort Custer remains uniquely capable of meeting our nation’s unmet homeland defense needs.
For more information, you can watch WWMT's coverage of the story below. |
An Update on Palisades Nuclear Power Plant
This week, U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Chris Wright announced the second loan disbursement to Holtec for the Palisades Nuclear Power Plant, releasing $56,787,300 of the up to $1.52 billion loan.
I am grateful that President Trump and Secretary Wright are advancing Southwest Michigan’s role in our mission to unleash American energy production and strengthen our national energy security.
Disbursing this funding is another key step towards providing 800MW of safe, carbon-free, and reliable energy and lower energy costs to our communities. The plant’s owner, Holtec International, is also planning to build two industry-first small modular reactor (SMR) units at the site which have the innovative potential to generate even more reliable carbon-free energy. The project is expected to bring hundreds of highly skilled, good-paying jobs to Southwest Michigan.
I am proud to have led the charge in Congress to support Holtec’s historic repowering of the Palisades Nuclear Power Plant.
Secretary Wright joined Fox Business earlier this week to talk about the importance of this project. To learn more, you can watch below. |
Protecting Our Great Lakes
As was evident during the telephone town halls, the Great Lakes continue to be a top priority for Southwest Michigan, and I couldn't agree more. Over the last couple of weeks, I have taken several steps to help ensure the ecology and the economy of the Great Lakes are protected for generations to come.
Recently, I introduced, along with Rep. Mike Quigley (D-IL), the Great Lakes Fishery Research Reauthorization Act. This bipartisan bill will reauthorize $15 million each year to the Great Lakes Fishery Research program for another five years through FY 2030. This program provides funding to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Great Lakes Science Center to conduct critical research supporting the nearly $4 billion sport and commercial fishing industry in the Great Lakes.
As an angler myself, I’m proud to help introduce this bipartisan bill to strengthen our vital fisheries with the research and technology needed to continue benefiting the ecology of the Great Lakes and the small business economy of Southwest Michigan.
I also joined Representatives Tim Walberg (R-MI) and Debbie Dingell (D-MI) in introducing the Great Lakes Mass Marking Program Act. The legislation would establish a program within the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to work with state and tribal governments to implement mass marking of fish at hatcheries in the Great Lakes. A Great Lakes Mass Marking Program would propel the economy and ecology of the Great Lakes even further— ensuring our incredible fisheries are better able to enhance the environmental, scientific, economic, and recreational benefits of healthy fish populations. |
Meeting with Constituents
Recently, I met with members of the Kalamazoo Chapter of the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials. We had a productive meeting where we discussed issues impacting affordable housing and my vote in support of the latest government funding bill. Thank you for coming by and for the great conversation! |
It was also great to meet with members of the 415th Civil Affairs Battalion in Portage who were stationed in Central Europe. Thank you for your service and welcome back to Southwest Michigan! |
Thank you for reading the latest edition of the Huizenga Huddle! If you would like to share your thoughts on the Huddle, need assistance with a federal agency, or would like to share a comment on another matter being discussed in Washington, please visit my website at Huizenga.House.Gov. |
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