LANSING, MI After three decades representing West Michigan in Congress, U.S. Rep. Fred Upton, R-St. Joseph, announced his plan to retire on Tuesday. The closest he came to losing was in 2018, a wave year for Democrats nationally, when he beat Matt Longjohn 50%-46%. 1443: LGBTQ Business Equal Credit Enforcement and Investment Act -- House Vote #182 -- Jun 24, 2021", "These are the 47 House Republicans who voted for a bill protecting marriage equality", "Republicans stand behind Trump on wall; a few cracks emerge", "Michigan delegation split 7-7 on $1.9T COVID relief bill vote Michigan Advance", "President Trump tells four liberal congresswomen to 'go back' to their countries, prompting Pelosi to defend them", "Here are the 4 Republicans who voted to condemn Trump's racist tweets", "Here's how the House voted on Trump's impeachment", "Analysis | The House Republicans who support impeaching President Trump", "U.S. Republican Rep. Fred Upton will vote to impeach Trump: spokesman", "These 10 House Republicans voted to impeach Trump on Wednesday", "Allegan County Republicans censure Congressman Fred Upton for Trump impeachment vote", "Upton censured for vote to remove Marjorie Taylor Greene from Education Committee", "Here are the 35 House Republicans who voted for the January 6 commission", "House sends bill creating January 6 commission to the Senate", "House votes to repeal 2002 Iraq War authorization", https://clerk.house.gov/evs/2021/roll172.xml, "These are the 9 House Republicans who voted to hold Steve Bannon in contempt of Congress", https://news.wttw.com/sites/default/files/article/file-attachments/2017-12-05-DACA_Letter_1.pdf, "Text - H.R.1865 - 116th Congress (2019-2020): Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020", "Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives", "H.R. For the first time in 40 years, we lost the state House and the state Senate, Upton said. Huizenga thanked Upton for his service in a statement. [66], In February 2021, Upton voted against a $1.9 trillion COVID relief bill that provided $10 billion in federal aid to Michigan. Trump had endorsed a GOP primary challenger against Upton, state Rep. Steve Carra. "UPTON QUITS! Over Emissions Limits Intended to Reduce Global Warming", "WH threatens veto of House oil pipeline bill", "House Passes Cross-Border Energy Infrastructure Bill", "How G.O.P. 4 down and 6 to go. Legislatively, Upton can point to several significant achievements, writing legislation that increased reporting requirements after hundreds died in accidents linked to Firestone tires mostly in Ford vehicles in the late 1990s and passing tougher pipeline safety standards alongside the late Rep. John Dingell, D-Dearborn, after a catastrophic oil line break in Marshall in 2010. And when he appeared to swing to the right after the Tea Party takeover of the U.S. House in 2011 and led efforts as chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee to curb greenhouse gas regulations, the American Lung Association went after him and the L.A. Times called him Earths biggest enemy, even though Upton has always maintained he has tried to balance environmental concerns with the economy. Fred Upton is retiring after serving Michigan in Congress for 36 years. "This is it for . When a mob of Trump supporters attacked the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, as Congress met in joint session to certify the 2020 presidential election for Biden, Upton was alone in his office nearby. If he has argued for limiting the EPAs hold on greenhouse gas emissions, he also has voted against loosening methane emission rules and acknowledges that climate change is real, unlike many in his party. That reaching across the aisle was important, that working together is how we get things done for the American people. Huizenga beat little-known Democrat Joseph Alfonso by 12 points in November. More recently, he served as a vice chair of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus, which pushes for civility and centrist legislation, such as the $1.2 trillion infrastructure package that was signed into law last year. Washington After nearly 36 years in office, Michigan Republican U.S. Rep. Fred Upton said Tuesday he plans to retire at the end of his term, declining to pursue a primary fight with a. But he showed every indication he might run for another term until April an independent redistricting commission had redrawn his district, putting him and another incumbent Rep. Bill Huizenga, R-Holland Township, in a fight for the same seat. He cited several career highlights, including bipartisan passage of the 21st Century Cures Act to speed up cures and treatments for many devastating diseases. Local Republican groups censured Upton. Bill Clark / CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images file, GOP Rep. Fred Upton receives death threat after backing infrastructure bill. [56] He has called for Congress to pass a bipartisan red flag law. Believing that Trump incited the mob on Jan. 6 to attack the Capitol, he voted to impeach him becoming one of just 10 House Republicans to do so and earning the presidents lasting ire. Democrats argued it wasnt enough and would strip many of affordable health care: Upton said his position had always been a consistent one. [30], Upton voted against passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and has since voted in favor of its complete repeal. My focus was jobs and the economy. He never thought hed run for Congress himself but after moving to OMB, he was urged, in 1986, to run against the Republican who had filled Stockman's seat, Rep. Mark Siljander, a Christian archconservative. One of the last acts signed into law by President Barack Obama, it would help pave the way for a COVID-19 vaccine to be speedily brought to the public beginning in late 2020. "Fred Upton embodies the very integrity, intelligence and civility our country needs more than ever," said Rep. Dean Phillips, D-Minn., one of the leaders of the Problem Solvers group who joined Upton at a bipartisan dinner Monday night. Upton, 68, is the fourth Republican. Is there a worldwide run on the Bank of the United States of America? For all that, said Dingell, Uptons essential nature is one of fostering camaraderie, an ability to lighten the mood, lighten the situation and make people feel better. U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee, D-Flint Township, said he turned to Upton, as a senior member of the House, when he was looking for an ally to help him secure aid for Flint in the wake of lead contamination of its water supply beginning in 2014. I mean, you know, the top three candidates [on the statewide ballot in November] were all election deniers. "[45], In 2012, Upton, as chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, said that Congress's refusal to set greenhouse gas limits "constituted a decision and that lawmakers should act now to reverse the EPA emissions rules." Asked if it was discouraging to be one of only 29 House Republicans in the Problem Solvers Caucus, a group of members equally divided between parties committed to finding common ground on many of the key issues facing the nation, Upton answered in his usual upbeat manner. In this May 3, 2017, file photo, Rep. Fred Upton, R-Mich., left, speaks to reporters outside the White House in Washington. Only two of the 10 Republicans who voted for impeachment, Reps. David Valadao of California and Dan Newhouse of Washington, won reelection in November. Subscribe to our News 10 newsletter and receive the latest local news and weather straight to your email every morning. Upton, who previously chaired the powerful House Energy and Commerce Committee, leaves behind a record of bipartisan legislation. He also led countless efforts to help west Michigan including spending decades on a project linking US-31 to Interstate 94 in Berrien County, which was finally completed this year. U.S. Rep. Fred Upton, R-St. Joseph, may be one of the most affable, easygoing politicians youll ever meet but when it comes to enemies, he sure can pick them. Upton laughed and explained he was still working on getting the highway funding, but the good news was about the Cures Act. Michigan Rep. Fred Upton, a centrist stalwart who later was one of 10 Republicans who voted to impeach Donald Trump over his role in the Jan. 6 attack, said Tuesday that he would not run for re-election after 18 terms in the House. When we passed it, I called him, and Lonnie, his wife, answered the phone, Upton said. [58], In 2004 and 2006, Upton voted for a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage. [18], Upton defeated former State Representative Jack Hoogendyk in the Republican primary, 57%43%. So Ive been here 36 years. The late Rush Limbaugh savaged him on his radio show more than a decade ago for embracing more efficient lightbulbs and being too willing to work with Democrats. Then, this fall, Upton said he followed up and called Alis widow, even though she no longer lives in Michigan, and left a voicemail on her cellphone: I just want to tell you that the governor and I cut the ribbon and the last leg of U.S. 31 is now open!, The Source for news on Capitol Hill since 1955. Upton won the Republican primary 55%45%[8] and the general election with 62% of the vote. (WNDU) - One of the longest serving Republicans in the House of Representatives is retiring. Hes a friend. After that, his only plan is to stay close to the area that he represented faithfully for 36-years. During his 35-year tenure on Capitol Hill, Upton voted to impeach two presidents: Bill Clinton and Donald Trump, during Trumps second impeachment. An independent commission in 2021 cut off the southern portion of Uptons old district, including a middle school named after him in his hometown of St. Joseph, and stretched it across the bottom of the state all the way to Lake Erie. He is one of the richest members of Congress his grandfather co-founded with his grand-uncle the appliance company that became Whirlpool yet he routinely reminds reporters who call him congressman that its just Fred, instead. For me, (Uptons departure) is more of a personal loss, said Kildee. That approval wouldnt have come for six, eight, ten months later so we literally saved hundreds of thousands of Americans, said Upton, who noted hes seeking an extension of the act in Congress before he leaves office at the end of the year. Then theres former President Donald Trump, who has labeled Upton as a RINO (Republican in name only) so many times, youd think he has a horn. [36] In 2018, Upton and Representative Debbie Dingell worked together on legislation designed to combat opioid addiction. "[69][70], On December 18, 2019, Upton voted against both articles of impeachment against Trump. NOW WHAT? After 36 years representing St. Joseph, Michigan, Congressman Fred Upton is ready for a new chapter. Fred is a dear friend to me, he was Johns best friend. Follow him on Twitter @tsspangler. Upton brought to that race what he has brought to every other since: An agreeable but not obsequious manner, a willingness to listen if not give in and a former sportswriters understanding of tactics and the need to keep an ear to the ground. Rep. Fred Upton, a Republican from Michigan, listens during a news. Reagan worked both sides of the aisle to get things done, caring less about who got the credit, and I made a promise that such a principle would be my guiding light, the congressman added referring to former President Reagan. This is it for me.. In a hard-fought race in which Upton accused Siljander of missing dozens of votes and Siljander sent a tape to fundamentalist clergy in the area saying they needed to look at Satan in the face ahead of the GOP primary, Upton won. Republican from Michigan, listens during a news working together is how get! 55 % 45 % [ 8 ] and the state House and the state,! 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