General Motors Lays Off Hundreds More: Congressmen Bill Huizenga, Tom Barrett, And John James’ Tariffs Are Hurting Michigan Auto Workers

As if families in Michigan weren’t suffering enough from our Republican Congressmen’s failed policies, General Motors confirmed last week it would eliminate hundreds more jobs, including at its Warren campus. The announcement comes after the automaker already cut over 200 jobs last October in Warren, while struggling to keep up with added costs as a result of tariffs. Rep. John James has backed these harmful tariffs at every turn, even going as far as to claim tariffs are bringing investment back to America and protecting workers. But workers in Michigan’s 10th Congressional District can see it’s exactly the opposite: James’ and Trump’s tariffs are raising supply costs for businesses and hurting workers while CEOs continue to make record profits. Once again, James and Trump are looking out for CEOs and big corporations at the expense of Michigan working families.

The pain isn’t limited to Macomb County. In Lansing, workers at the General Motors’ Grand River Assembly plant are facing uncertainty of their own, largely driven by tariffs. Meanwhile, Congressman Tom Barrett, whose own constituents depend on the plant, has continued to support this terrible tariff agenda. In southwest Michigan, workers and small businesses in Congressman Bill Huizenga’s district are facing the same reckoning. Auto suppliers in the Kalamazoo area are absorbing the cascading costs of Republican-backed tariffs, and suppliers across the state have already announced layoffs amid production slowdowns. While automakers in Michigan and across the country are facing increased hardship as tariffs impact the global supply chain and add billions in costs, consumers are feeling the impact, too, with car prices up 10 percent since last year. 

By repeatedly defending tariffs, John James is backing an agenda that’s cutting jobs and straining working-class families in his district. Michigan Families For Fair Care will continue to remind Michiganders that Barrett, Huizenga, and James don't have their best interests at heart, and call on them to stop supporting tariffs that increase costs.