HOLLAND, Mich. (WOOD) — Ahead of Republicans retaking control of the House and Senate next month, U.S. Rep. Bill Huizenga was back in West Michigan Monday morning to talk to local business owners and commerce members.

At a breakfast hosted by the West Coast Chamber inside Holland’s Haworth Hotel, Huizenga, R-Zeeland, addressed nearly 250 attendees about year-end funding, as well as his party’s control of the House of Representatives, Senate and White House next session.

Asked about President-elect Donald Trump’s tariff proposal, Huizenga said the GOP and Canadian government are having ongoing discussions over trade and immigration, while arguing that the concept of tariffs can be a tool for achieving self-sustainability.

“If there’s one lesson out of COVID, it’s that we were overly dependent on the world for the products that we consumed here in the United States. Look, we couldn’t get ventilators, much less paper masks, much less high-tech silicon chips, right?” he said. “So this is … a real effort. Tariffs can be a part of that effort to make sure that we are bringing that back to the United States, where it (is) all practical and to also make sure that our trade partners and our allies are actually acting that way.”

Asked what he expects his party to tackle first in the new session, Huizenga said renewing the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act is high the list. Currently, its provisions are set to expire after this tax year. That includes the per-child tax credit, which in turn could affect middle-class taxpayers.