Huizenga’s revolving door: at least a dozen staffers became lobbyists

Republican Rep. Bill Huizenga’s office has employed at least a dozen individuals who worked as lobbyists or went on to become lobbyists.

Huizenga has represented Michigan’s 4th District since 2011. He is running for a ninth term this year.

Lobbyists are typically required to register with the federal government and disclose their clients. Public filings reveal that Huizenga staffers have done work on behalf of the finance, insurance, and pharmaceutical industires.

This includes people who worked with Huizenga on a daily basis. Jon DeWitte, his chief of staff for more than a decade, left Huizenga’s office in 2022. He is now a lobbyist and vice president of government affairs for Travelers Insurance.

A disclosure from earlier this year says that Travelers has lobbied Congress on issues related to health care, trade, opioids, taxes, and insurance issues.

Heartland Signal reported in 2023 that Huizenga’s former deputy chief of staff, Marlis McManus, is now a lobbyist for the investment giant Vanguard. McManus is currently lobbying lawmakers on issues related to investment funds and equity markets.

This was a full-circle journey for McManus, who did lobbying work for the National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies before joining Huizenga’s office in 2011.

Moving between public- and private-sector work like this is often referred to as revolving-door politics. Critics say it paves the way for conflicts of interest and corporate influence over legislating.

Palmer Rafferty, another former deputy chief of staff for the congressman, is now a lobbyist for TransUnion. Martin Van Valkenburg, who was a senior advisor for Huizenga, did lobbying work for an aerospace company.

All of these companies are subject to congressional oversight and regulation. Huizenga also sits on the Financial Services Committee, which oversees the banking and insurance industries.

At least seven more Huizenga staffers have become lobbyists, including a former senior legislative assistant who now lobbies for the pharmaceutical companies Bayer, Eli Lilly, and Novartis.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has identified Huizenga as one of the most vulnerable Republicans facing reelection this year. His Democratic opponent is state Sen. Sean McCann.