Huizenga sides with Trump administration in Canada trade war
The Michigan Republican has voted at least four times to hand tariff authority to the president, even after conceding the costs would land on his constituents.
U.S. Rep. Bill Huizenga (R-MI) has continued to back the Trump administration’s trade war with Canada, extending a pattern of promoting tariffs that have increased prices for his constituents.
On Thursday, Aug. 27, the Michigan Republican posted on his official X account, boosting a video of a Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) News interview with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer. In it, Greer put the blame on Canada, saying Canadian negotiators wanted more than the U.S. was willing to give and disputing Canada’s assertion that the U.S. made last-minute demands.
Huizenga agreed with Greer’s account, said American officials remained open to resuming talks, and called on Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney to return to the table. “Ultimately, it is important that we come to trade terms with Canada and find a path forward,” Huizenga wrote. “I hope PM Carney and the Canadian government will re-engage soon.”
But reporting from The New York Times and the National Post places the blame elsewhere. Both outlets reported that U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, not Canada, was responsible, saying his hardline stances on tariffs for cars, steel and aluminum threw the talks into chaos and contributed to their collapse, leading to the most recent trade war.
Huizenga has been in line with the Trump administration in boosting the president’s trade policy since January 2025. When President Donald Trump began issuing a 25% import tariff on all Canadian and Mexican goods in April 2025, Huizenga backed the president while admitting the increased prices would hurt his constituents.
“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,” Huizenga told Michigan Public two days before Trump’s announcement.
In the U.S. House, Huizenga has voted at least four times in favor of ceding the power to issue tariffs from Congress to Trump. The overall inflation rate in the U.S. since Trump’s second term is currently at 4.3%, according to the Consumer Price Index (CPI).
“Huizenga pledged to lower the cost of living on the campaign trail but has done the exact opposite,” Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee spokesperson Katie Smith wrote in February 2026. “Promises made, promises broken.”
Sean McCann, Huizenga’s Democratic opponent in November’s general election for Michigan’s 4th Congressional District, criticized the congressman last Saturday for “rubber stamping these chaotic tariffs,” saying Huizenga “stopped listening to Michigan years ago.”
Huizenga’s office did not immediately respond for comment.
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