Bill Huizenga has represented West Michigan in Congress since 2011. Back in 2018, during Trump's first term, he warned that Trump's tariffs could cost people in his part of the state their jobs.
He doesn't say that anymore. As The Gander reported this week, Huizenga now backs Trump's tariffs, even as factories in West Michigan close.
What he said in 2018
On May 31, 2018, the Trump administration put tariffs on steel and aluminum from Canada, Mexico and the European Union. Huizenga put out a statement that same day.
He said he had just heard from manufacturers in Grand Haven that the tariffs "have already raised the cost of doing business." Then he warned:
"Any perceived short-term gain from these overly broad tariffs may be quickly blunted by hardworking men and women losing their jobs in West Michigan and communities where manufacturing plays a significant role in the local economy."
He called the tariffs a "misguided proposal" and said, "I implore the Administration to reconsider." He also pointed out that Michigan manufacturers "have particularly benefited from our strong economic ties to both Canada as well as EU Nations."
That was a good argument. It's still a good argument.
What he says now
In March 2025, Trump was days away from announcing a sweeping new round of tariffs. Huizenga defended the plan to reporters in Battle Creek. He admitted his own constituents might feel the effects. But he backed the president anyway:
"Is there going to be some adjustments to that? Absolutely. Is it going to be easy? Not necessarily. Is it the right thing to do? Absolutely it is."
Trump's second-term tariffs also hit Canada, the same trading partner he said in 2018 had been so good for Michigan manufacturers. In February 2026, the House voted on a resolution to end the national emergency Trump used to put tariffs on Canada. The resolution passed. Huizenga voted no.
What happened to West Michigan jobs
Here's what The Gander found happened in West Michigan in 2025:
- Howard Miller Company, the nearly 100-year-old clock and furniture maker in Zeeland, announced in July 2025 that it was going out of business. Its CEO said "tariffs rattled the supply chain," and that Trump's tariffs had raised the cost of parts the company couldn't get in the U.S. All 133 workers at its Zeeland headquarters were set to lose their jobs.
- NPR of America, an engine-parts plant in Grand Haven Township, announced in August 2025 that it would close, with 64 people losing their jobs: 50 by the end of 2025 and 14 more by the time the plant fully closes in February 2027. That's the same Grand Haven where, in 2018, Huizenga said manufacturers were already paying more because of tariffs.
- Pactiv Evergreen, a food packaging plant in Kalamazoo, laid off 153 workers.
That's about 350 jobs. To be fair, not every one of those closings was about tariffs. The Grand Haven plant's owner said it was moving the work to other sites to "optimize production" after a merger, and Pactiv Evergreen's closure came amid company cost-cutting ahead of its sale to another packaging company. But Howard Miller's CEO named tariffs directly.
A Grand Valley State University economist, Paul Isely, told The Gander that what makes it hardest on local businesses is that "the rules keep changing very quickly." In his 2026 forecast for Grand Rapids, 51% of business respondents said the government was hurting business in the region.
He hasn't said why he changed
The Gander couldn't reach Huizenga's campaign for comment. His Democratic opponent, state Sen. Sean McCann, said he doesn't understand it either. "Why is he silent on these policies?" McCann asked.
Huizenga isn't the only Michigan Republican who has gone back and forth on tariffs. Senate candidate Mike Rogers mocked Michiganders for worrying about tariff prices, then ran an ad saying "End This Tariff War Now" with less than a month to go.
What the record shows
In 2018, Bill Huizenga called Trump's tariffs on Canada and Europe "misguided" and warned they could cost West Michigan workers their jobs. In 2025, he said Trump's new tariffs were "absolutely" the right thing to do, and in February 2026 he voted against ending Trump's tariffs on Canada. In 2025, three West Michigan employers announced about 350 job cuts, including a 99-year-old clock maker whose CEO blamed tariffs.
Source
The Gander: Huizenga fought Trump's tariffs in 2018. Now he backs them as factories close
