{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://huizenga.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=364795", "Holland Sentinel: Huizenga Talks Budget, ObamaCare At West Coast Chamber Breakfast", "2013-12-17", "2013", "2013-12", "Republican", "House", "MI", "Bill Huizenga", "H001058", "huizenga.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Rep. Bill Huizenga talks budget at early bird breakfast  \r\nThe Holland Sentinel  \r\nAndrea Goodell  \r\nDecember 16, 2013Rep. Bill Huizenga defended his vote to approve a compromise budget Monday morning. \u201cThe problem is we have a divided government and two very different, distinct visions of where the country ought to be going,\u201d he said, adding that the $1.12 trillion budget \u201csaves more than it spends.\u201d The Zeeland Republican addressed the West Coast Chamber during the annual \u201cBreakfast with Bill\u201d event at the Commons of Evergreen in Holland. Before voting on the budget, Huizenga said, he asked himself something: \u201cWhat would Ronald Reagan have done?\u201d The House budget compromise wouldn\u2019t include new direct tax increases, and it would replace the across-the-board sequester cuts with targeted ones, Huizenga told the crowd. The bill spends $23 billion less. \u201cNo, it\u2019s not enough. However that\u2019s the result of a divided government,\u201d he said. \u201c(The vote for the budget) doesn\u2019t mean I\u2019m going to compromise my principles, but I can compromise on the details.\u201d The House agreement marks the most compromise either chamber has seen in months of brinkmanship. \u201cIt will be interesting to see what happens on the Senate side, too,\u201d Huizenga said, pointing to the recent change in Senate rules, removing the filibuster. He also predicted an increase to the debt ceiling will pass when it comes up early next year, but he isn\u2019t happy about the country\u2019s spending habits. \u201cIt used to take a really long time to deficit spend a trillion bucks, now it takes about a year,\u201d Huizenga said, adding the Obama administration has been on \u201cturbo drive\u201d when it comes to spending. An audience question about immigration reform now in the Senate prompted Huizenga to say, \u201cThe fact is our system doesn\u2019t allow for our folks in the ag sector to have the workers that they need. \u2026 We\u2019re not very immigrant friendly.\u201d While it isn\u2019t realistic to deport every illegal immigrant, Huizenga said, neither does he see a pathway to citizenship adults who came here illegally. The other big fight in Washington is, of course, health care. About 225,000 Michiganders have received insurance cancellation notices and fewer than 7,000 enrolled in new, independent health insurance policies, Huizenga said. However, he admitted, \u201cI don\u2019t think anybody wants to go back to where we had been.\u201d He\u2019d rather see a bigger push toward Health Savings Accounts, a mechanism he believes will make customers more in charge of their health care. Although the dialogue has started to change in Washington, it will take an election before his colleagues can accomplish much, Huizenga said, more than hinting at a Republican-controlled Senate come November 2014. As Huizenga wrapped up his remarks, the Great Lake District of the U.S. Chamber presented him with the Spirit of Enterprise Award for his 90 percent pro-business rating. Huizenga responded by taking a picture of the award and the crowd and telling them to follow him on Twitter, @repHuizenga.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["http://huizenga.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=364795"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8801629301160574, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}