Tariffs, trade policy, and MI-4's manufacturing base
Manufacturing is the largest single employer in both Allegan and Van Buren counties, which makes tariff policy one of the more concrete ways federal action reaches this district's paychecks. This piece lays out who's actually here, what the 2025 tariffs actually do, and a vote that matters more than either of those on its own: the one where Huizenga helped block Congress's own tool for checking the tariffs in the first place.
Who's actually here
County-level employmentAuto parts and medical devices are real parts of this economy too, but they're spread across smaller suppliers and contract manufacturers rather than concentrated in one or two employers the way furniture is around MillerKnoll or consumer health is around Perrigo. That's not a knock on their importance, it's just why they're harder to put a single, sourceable number on. I'm not going to invent a precision this sector doesn't have.
What the 2025 tariffs actually do
Effective policy, not campaign rhetoric| Action | What it does | Relevance to this district |
|---|---|---|
| Section 232 steel & aluminum tariffs | 25% tariff imposed Feb. 10, 2025; doubled to 50% effective June 4, 2025. Expanded in August 2025 to cover 407 additional derivative products, including household appliances | Raises input costs for any manufacturer buying steel or aluminum — relevant to furniture frames, auto parts, and appliance components alike |
| "Liberation Day" reciprocal tariffs | IEEPA-based tariffs on 80+ countries announced April 2, 2025, ranging from a 10% baseline up to 46% on specific countries | Furniture, along with most consumer goods and machinery, generally falls in the 10–25% bracket depending on country of origin — relevant to any importer competing with or supplying MillerKnoll's supply chain |
The vote that mattered more than a tariff itself
House Clerk recordOn Sept. 16, 2025, the House passed H.Res. 707, 213–211, with Huizenga voting yes. Buried in a routine-looking procedural resolution was a provision suspending Section 202 of the National Emergencies Act through March 31, 2026 — the mechanism Congress would normally use to force a floor vote terminating the "emergency" declarations behind the reciprocal tariffs. Three Republicans broke ranks on this one: Thomas Massie, Kevin Kiley, and Victoria Spartz. Huizenga wasn't one of them. Whatever you think of the tariffs themselves, this vote is arguably the more consequential one, because it's the vote that decided whether Congress could even hold a vote on the tariffs at all.