On Monday night, Bill took part in the Second District Congressional Debate at Muskegon Community College’s Stevenson Center. During the debate, Bill discussed a range of topics including: job creation, the national debt, the importance of getting the federal government working for West Michigan, ObamaCare, and the Great Lakes.

Below are Bill’s responses to some of the issues facing West Michigan.
On Job Creation

• “(Job creation) is the No. 1 thing we have to look at. Why? Because it is the key to turning Michigan around and it’s the key to turning the United States around. We don’t have to have more people added to the ‘welfare rolls.’ I believe people here want to work and be successful on their own. … We have to make sure we give people the opportunity to go out and be successful.”

View the list of 46 House-passed jobs bills that are currently collecting dust in the Senate because Harry Reid refuses to hold a vote on them.
On Addressing The National Debt & Balancing The Budget

• We ought to add a balanced budget amendment to the U.S. Constitution so that we get our spending and revenues back in order

Bill is a cosponsor of legislation to add a Balanced Budget Amendment to the Constitution. Click here to view the legislation
On Getting The Government Working For West Michigan

• Another thing we have to do is make sure that we have a government that is going to work for people. That’s why we have staff here in the district who assist people when they’re having problems with the VA, social security, immigration or any other federal issue.

On ObamaCare’s Failures & It’s Negative Impact On West Michigan

• All you have to do in Muskegon is talk to the 1,500 plus county employees who are going to be experiencing an increase in their premiums from $136 a month to $361 a month. I think that is a failure. Now, the goal and the objective of having greater access (to health care) with lower costs and higher quality is admirable and it’s something that I want to pursue as well. ‘Obamacare’ / the Affordable Care Act is not the way to do it.

• Remember the famous line, ‘if you like your doctor, you’re going to be able to keep your doctor. If you like your plan, you’re going to be able to keep your plan.’ People are paying for premiums that have gone up. They are seeing their deductibles go up. They’re seeing they’re twice as limited. I believe it has put the wrong people in control of our healthcare choices. We should be in charge of that, not a government bureaucrat or an insurance company.

On The Importance Of The Great Lakes

• Water quality is a huge part of this, but we also have to make sure we are properly utilizing the Great Lakes and that’s why Candice Miller and I worked with a Democrat from California, Janice Hahn, on an amendment to the Water Resource Development Act that guarantees a return of the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund dollars. We know how vital it is to the economy all around the Great Lakes to make sure we have good working harbors.

To read more about Bill’s bipartisan effort to make sure the federal government lives up to its obligation of dredging harbors across the Great Lakes, click here.