Huizenga and Peters Talk Federal Budget, Energy Policy in Michigan

The first American Congressional Exchange of 2026 convened the co-chairs of the Bipartisan Fiscal Forum, Reps. Bill Huizenga (R-MI) and Scott Peters (D-CA), in southwest Michigan to discuss energy, workforce development, and fiscal responsibility.

Civic Education at the Gerald R. Ford Museum

The representatives began the trip with a visit to the Gerald R. Ford Museum in Grand Rapids, where they gained historical insights into a range of national issues through the lens of President Ford. True to President Ford’s legacy of community engagement, the Civics Education Hub provides the next generation of civic leaders with a front-row seat to American government. The museum plays a unique educational and extracurricular development role for Michigan students, and the members reinforced the importance of showing citizens how our country must continue to find opportunities for bipartisan collaboration, even in politically volatile times.

The following day’s visits centered on the critical issues of renewable energy, workforce development, and economic policy.

Workforce and Child Care at Gentex

The morning began at Gentex Corporation, which supplies manufactured components across the automotive, defense, emergency response, and medical industries. The members heard how permitting reform, which would help ensure reliable energy for production capacity, and workforce development are both central to the company’s growth.

Gentex also highlighted how reliable child care is key to attracting and maintaining a quality workforce. The company has partnered with the Outdoor Discovery Network to create a 43,000-square-foot, nature-focused child care center on its campus. The Gentex Discovery Preschool addresses a critical gap in child care in the region by offering care for children of second-shift employees who often work evenings. These insights showed Reps. Huizenga and Peters how industry leaders are innovating in areas they directly control, while developing state and federal relationships to create long-term legislative and regulatory solutions.

Restarting the Palisades Nuclear Power Plant

Next, the representatives traveled to Covert, Michigan, and toured Holtec International’s Palisades Nuclear Power Plant, soon to be America’s first nuclear reactor to return to operation after decommissioning. For Rep. Peters, who serves on the Energy Subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, this was a unique opportunity to understand the journey this restart has taken at the plant, including the regulatory process in Washington and engagement with the local community. According to Holtec, the recommissioning will drive a powerful wave of economic opportunity with 600 high-wage, high-skill jobs and $363 million of regional economic impact. It will also pave a path toward a clean energy future with reliable electricity for nearly 800,000 homes.

The two lawmakers inquired about plant safety and the federal regulations and oversight surrounding the nuclear facility. Holtec employees explained that prior to its closure, Palisades operated in the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s highest safety category, and the plant manager illustrated how high-skill, record-breaking production runs made Palisades an industry-wide high performer. Plant employees also discussed the importance of having community support in getting Palisades reauthorized. Because of the high safety standards Palisades held for over 50 years, community members overall were eager to have the plant restart for both its energy and economic benefits.

A Federal Budget Simulation with the Boys & Girls Club

From Palisades, the members headed east to Kalamazoo for a federal budget simulation with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Kalamazoo and Southwest Michigan. Using the Bipartisan Policy Center’s Interactive Federal Budget Simulator, the members helped walk students through the congressional budget process, showing them how each decision to adjust the budget creates domino effects throughout government spending and revenue-raising.

The students debated health care spending, the Social Security retirement age, and tax rates. While some students were able to balance the budget, they all learned the difficulties Congress faces every budgetary cycle in considering competing priorities. The students also gained a critical understanding of the enormous debt they will be inheriting if Congress cannot address our national deficit. However, the students demonstrated that today’s youth are ready and willing to have the hard conversations to find the best solutions for America’s financial future.

A Workforce Development Roundtable

Continuing the day’s rigorous schedule, the members returned to a discussion surrounding workforce and economic development with a roundtable of local business and workforce leaders, hosted by the Southwest Michigan First Chamber at the Kalamazoo Regional Educational Service Agency (KRESA) Career Connect Campus. The members learned about the innovative ways business leaders are addressing a dwindling manufacturing and industrial workforce by working with both government and nonprofit partners to develop the high-demand technical skills education high school students now receive at KRESA. Business leaders spoke about additional strains on workforce development, including child care access and continuing education for workers.

Research at the W.K. Kellogg Biological Station

Lastly, Reps. Huizenga and Peters visited the W.K. Kellogg Biological Station (KBS) at Michigan State University, one of the largest field research stations in North America. KBS focuses on fundamental ecology, evolution, and the application of that knowledge to human needs. The members heard about many research projects at KBS, including rotational and biodiverse plot farming to help replenish Michigan farms and crop evaluation for the most efficient sources of bioenergy. The members gained an understanding of how KBS not only impacts research outcomes for the university but also serves as a trusted source of information for the larger agricultural community the research station is situated in.

Legislating Requires Working Together

The Bipartisan Policy Center’s American Congressional Exchange exists to lower the temperature in a hyperpolarized Congress. Solving the hardest problems with durable solutions requires bipartisanship and working across the aisle. More than the sum of individual stops on this ACE trip, the shared travel cemented a working bond between a Democratic congressman and a Republican congressman who typically vote differently on almost all topics. Now, though, they have a partner to engage on policies where they can find overlap rather than settling for exploiting their differences.

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