LANSING — Today, Michigan Democrats and constituents of Rep. Bill Huizenga’s district gathered to slam his long history of self-dealing amid a Republican-fueled cost of living crisis. Recent reporting revealed that Rep. Huizenga has used his time in office to roughly triple his total assets and increase his net worth by as much as fivefold, and spend campaign cash to pay his brother hundreds of thousands and fund luxury trips. Today’s conference made it clear that Rep. Huizenga’s replacement with a representative who will actually fight for the people they represent is long overdue. Watch the presser here.
“For years now, Southwest Michiganders haven’t had real representation in Congress. Instead of someone who’s on their side, they’ve gotten Bill Huizenga: who’s been singularly focused on working for himself, his family, and corporate special interest donors,” said Michigan Democratic Party Chair Curtis Hertel. “While costs rise for Michigan families, Bill Huizenga [quintupled] his net worth. He voted to give himself a tax break: raking in as much as $50,000 in tax savings thanks to the Big Ugly Bill, while regular families pay more. And he’s nowhere to be found across Southwest Michigan. Instead, he’s jetting off to Scotland to tour castles.”
“[Rep. Huizenga] has been in Washington working for himself and for his billionaires bosses while families here fall further and further behind,” said State Rep. Joey Andrews of Rep. Huizenga. “Bill Huizenga has had his fingerprints on every backwards Republican bill out of Washington that’s making these conditions worse. He cut Medicaid to give himself a tax break. He’s voted at every opportunity to enable the Iran war to continue. He has failed to do what’s right for Michigan and families here in Southwest Michigan.”
“Huizenga’s priorities are completely out of whack. Instead of working for us, he is working for himself, his family, and his elite friends. For most Michigan families, the American dream looks like working hard, putting what you can away in savings and retirement, planning for your kids’ education, and doing everything possible to help your family succeed,” said State Rep. Matt Longjohn. “For Bill Huizenga, it looks like going to Washington D.C., increasing his net worth, taking trips to Scotland in the middle of a government shutdown, and just not showing up for us. This latest news using his campaign money to pay his brother hundreds of thousands of dollars is disgusting. This list goes on and on. But one thing is clear: Huizenga is absolutely out of touch and only interested in helping himself.”
“It’s astounding to me that Bill Huizenga has used his campaign to send hundreds of thousands of dollars to his own brother,” said Thom Parker, a constituent of MI-04. “We deserve better. This November, I’m going to be voting to fire Bill Huzienga. It’s long past time – we need change.”
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