Hon. Fred Upton — Congressional Record, Extensions of Remarks, December 23, 2022 (E1349)
Summary
A page of the Congressional Record, Extensions of Remarks, dated December 23, 2022, at page E1349, headed Final Farewell by Hon. Fred Upton of Michigan. Reflecting on more than four decades of service in the federal government, Upton thanks his peers, staff and family and states that his staff handled more than 1 million constituent inquiries. He says bipartisanship was always a guiding principle, learned in the Reagan White House, and recalls a Reagan motto that it does not matter who gets the credit as long as the job gets done. He lists Great Lakes priorities, including a plan to replace Line 5 under the Mackinac Bridge and authorizing a new lock for the Soo. The remarks are Upton's own.
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“Hon. Fred Upton — Congressional Record, Extensions of Remarks, December 23, 2022 (E1349).”
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December 23, 2022 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks E1349
EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS
FINAL FAREWELL McCausland, and Jack Baker held those same Yes, bipartisanship was always a guiding
titles. Kaitlyn Peterson was my front desk traf- principle. I learned that at the Reagan White
HON. FRED UPTON fic cop directing many constituent inquiries. All House where a GOP President worked with a
OF MICHIGAN in all, we handled more than 1 million con- Democrat-controlled Congress and got things
stituent inquiries. All my staff carried the same done. Quite frankly, quite a few Americans
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
passion to do the right thing from the start. probably voted with both hands to fill in ballot
Friday, December 23, 2022 Whether it be D.C. staff or here at home, they circles or punch the chad for him in 1980 yet
Mr. UPTON. Madam Speaker, as I reflect effectively and proudly served so many thou- we saw him win in a landslide 4 years later
on more than four decades of service in the sands of people in our communities. except for Mondale’s Minnesota. I always kept
Federal Government—working for our former Every Congressional office is different, but I one of Reagan’s mottos in mind, ‘‘It doesn’t
Southwest Michigan Congressman David established ours with my 2 Michigan offices matter who gets the credit, as long as the job
Stockman, then President Ronald Reagan, handling my constituent services, and my D.C. gets done.’’
and finally in the U.S. House of Representa- staff preparing me on legislative issues. Al- The Great Lakes has always been a top pri-
tives—I am so grateful for the countless folks most everyone started as an intern, answering ority for me. I’ve worked to ban micro-beads,
who have helped along the way including my the phone, and hearing from constituents by ensure water quality funds, establish an oil
peers, staff, and wonderful family who have answering the mail (remember, the internet spill response team, pipeline safety and deliv-
helped me do my best day after day. didn’t become widely available until the late ered on a plan with Governor Rick Snyder to
90s). From there, they moved up and were replace Line 5 under the Mackinac Bridge at
‘‘One cannot count on luck. It comes and
recognized for the experience they gained and a $500 million cost. I also spent time ensuring
goes. But one can count on hard work.
ALSO, staying out of your OWN way . . . dedication they demonstrated. My former dredging our harbors, battling Asian carp, and
and, for most folks, that’s the hardest scheduler and Officer Manager Bits Thomas authorizing a new lock for the Soo. If the 60-
part.’’—Amey Upton. started as an intern and then was my ‘‘door- year-old lock went down, it would literally dou-
I was asked last week what I want to be re- keeper’’ for a decade before she moved back ble the Nation’s unemployment as iron ore
membered for, and without a second thought to Michigan with her family. Her stellar suc- could not make it to the steel mills for autos,
I pointed to a small, simple brass frame with appliances, and our manufacturing industries.
cessor, Suzanne Scruggs, once worked for a
As a vice-chair of the bipartisan Problem
a motto that I picked up from my grandfather’s Cabinet member and is married to one of my
Solver’s Caucus (PSC), we met virtually every
desk when he passed away at 96 years of first volunteers from 1986, who later became week and were instrumental in passing the
age. It read, ‘‘When in doubt, do the right my Legislative Director. He later went to law CHIPS and Infrastructure bills to help America
thing!’’ I have kept it at the center of my desk school at night and now helps run one of the remain competitive. We also played a role in
and work at the Capitol all these years. most prestigious firms in Washington. the Paycheck Protection Plan (PPP) that en-
In this journey, I have been blessed by the Alec Zender was with us several years help- abled so many of our small businesses to
sacrifice of many. First and foremost, my wife ing our farmers and small businesses, then keep their employees paid during the COVID
Amey, who as my best friend for some 40 went to fellow Michigander Rep. JACK shutdown and provide a lifeline to maintain
years has watched me depart practically every BERGMAN. their presence.
week for a trip to Washington, D.C., making Last but not least, the point man and archi- On the morning of September 11, 2001, I
99.9 percent of the nearly 22,000 votes cast. tect who shepherded 21st Century Cures, drove through the Pentagon parking lot about
I often was at one of our district offices or Mark Ratner. As resident comedian and my an hour before the plane hit the building. Gen-
community events most days of the week. I MSU sports rival, he served as my legislative eral Van Antwerp, whom I had grown up with
still vividly recall the Bangor town meeting on right-hand man for nearly 20 years. on my street in St. Joseph, was spared be-
a Halloween Saturday morning in 1987 when And the list goes on. I am so proud of our cause he was at a meeting out of the building,
the word came down that my wife’s water had team. I’ve been involved with a long list of but a number of his staff were killed. As the
broken, and I had better get to the hospital issues, so long that there has been little time Telecommunications Subcommittee Chair, I
pretty quickly. Then there was my son remind- to stop and ‘‘smell the roses.’’ led a number of colleagues to New York City
ing me not to talk to strangers as a 6-year-old It was the late State Senator Harry Gast a few days later, where the rescue mission
in the Watervliet 4th of July parade or having who convinced me to serve on the House was still taking place at Ground Zero. We later
to miss my daughter’s birthday to participate in Transportation Committee when I was first passed legislation that was the top priority
a debate during one of my 25 contested elec- elected so I could help complete US-31 con- noted by the 9/11 Commission’s report to allo-
tions. Obviously, the sacrifice of family time necting three interstates in Berrien County. cate broadcast spectrum allowing law enforce-
they all made was something they endured, There were a lot of bumps, potholes, and but- ment to have their own frequency to commu-
especially last-minute schedule changes to terflies along the way, but I am happy to say nicate. We did such by forcing the broad-
long-planned family activities. the project is now complete. Also, my amend- casters to convert their analogue broadcast
My staff—such a blessing. Janet Zielke and ment in that first 5-year highway bill increased signal to digital and selling that newly created
Joan Hillebrands were with me all 36 years Michigan’s share of each federal dollar from spectrum to the highest bidders in the tele-
and a number of others more than 20 years. 72 cents to 90 cents, providing billions that communications industry. This allowed them to
Joan actually started as a legislative cor- would have otherwise gone to other states. produce devices with text and video, which
respondent and worked her way to Chief of Later helping to widen and improve 1-94 with created the 5G network, hundreds of thou-
Staff where she has been steadily guiding our US-131 moving east towards I-69. sands of jobs, and generated revenue to re-
ship for the last 25 years. Corey Hanson, Mitzi Moving from Transportation to the powerful duce the deficit.
Fitzpatrick, and Nivia Marquis are the best in Energy & Commerce Committee in 1991 I had Supporting our troops and our brave vet-
the business at solving IRS, small business, a terrific mentor in Chairman John Dingell. I erans was always the easiest vote I cast.
immigration, and veterans’ issues among oth- served as Chair of the Oversight, Tele- Whether it be Agent Orange or Burn Pits ben-
ers. My communications folks handling press communications, & Energy Subcommittees efits or visiting our troops in harm’s way in
on local and national interests were always which eventually led to me becoming Chair of Iraq or Afghanistan, visiting our military hos-
terrific, Caroline Banaszak and Jamal Ware the full committee from 2010 to 2016. Speaker pitals here and overseas, count me as a
helped finish up strong. Dale Shugars and Newt Gingrich changed the seniority rules grateful American. Allowing our vets to receive
SSpencer on DSK126QN23PROD with REMARKS
Mike Ryan ran my two district offices, and I making the chairs compete for the chairman- medical care in their home community if they
have known them both for many decades as ships with a 6-year term limit. Without that prefer versus traveling across the state to a
leaders in their respective communities of Por- change, I would still be sitting as a senior VA facility was also a choice I supported.
tage and St. Joseph. And before them, Al member of the committee but still not having I have had the opportunity to have many
Pscholka, John Proos, Jeff Breneman, Clay had a chance to lead it. classified briefings on China, Ukraine, Russia,
∑ This ‘‘bullet’’ symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by a Member of the Senate on the floor.
Matter set in this typeface indicates words inserted or appended, rather than spoken, by a Member of the House on the floor.
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E1350 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks December 23, 2022
and protecting American interests. We are a gressional commission. In my view, the com- RECOGNIZING THE 2022 LORDS AND
free nation because of our brave. It always mission’s unanimous support for their report LADIES OF FAIRFAX
has been a favorite moment for me to nomi- issued this week prevented the facts from
nate qualified young men and women to at- being swept under the rug and helped ensure HON. GERALD E. CONNOLLY
tend our military academies. General Emery preservation of the peaceful transfer of presi- OF VIRGINIA
Upton was in the West Point class with dential power. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
George Custer and later served as Com-
More than a 1,000 folks provided testimony Friday, December 23, 2022
mandant. His statue is on Little Round Top in
to get the truth that otherwise never would
Gettysburg. And my 98-year-old dad served in Mr. CONNOLLY. Madam Speaker, I rise to
have been told. Where were these same souls
World War II, including the Battle of the Bulge. recognize a dedicated group of men and
Senate Majority Leader MITCH MCCONNELL who knew the intimate story when we debated
women in Northern Virginia, the Lords and La-
called the enactment of 21st Century Cures impeachment? Crickets.
dies of Fairfax.
the most important legislative achievement in One regret I will share was the failure of the Every year, each member of the Fairfax
that Congress when President Obama signed Super Committee a dozen years ago to deal County Board of Supervisors selects two peo-
it into law in December 2016. I led a 3-year ef- with the deficit. It had 6 members of the ple from his or her district who have dem-
fort as chair of the Energy & Commerce Com- House and Senate: 6 Republicans and 6 onstrated outstanding volunteer service, her-
mittee to pass this legislation, which expedites Democrats. The rule was that we had to get oism, or othel exceptional commitments and
the FDA approvals of drugs and devices and 7 votes, and we could never get more than 6 contributions to our community. Since the pro-
was coupled with $45 billion in additional as it turned out. We spent a couple months gram’s inception in 1984, approximately 720
health research funding. We literally held doz- negotiating different alternatives but could individuals have earned the honor of being
ens of round table discussions, hearings, never quite get there. I was one of the ‘‘aye’’ named a Lord or Lady Fairfax by his or her
meetings with disease groups, the FDA, Na- votes with fellow Michigan colleague and representative on the Board of Supewisors.
tional Institutes of Health (NIH), pharma- Chair of the House Ways & Means Committee This year. the Fairfax County Board of Su-
ceutical companies, and research institutions Dave Camp, but we were 1 vote short. The pervisors will recognize those individuals who
like the University of Michigan, MD Anderson, looming budget deficit remains a threat that have made tremendous impacts through their
Mayo Clinic, Harvard, and the Milken Institute. most certainly future leaders must address. support of our public schools, parks. youth
Fast forward 4 years to COVID. Pfizer’s CEO sports leagues, arts community, public safety.
told his folks that they would spend ‘‘whatever My last 2 days in Congress were action
packed. On Wednesday evening, I attended a and human service programs. It is nearly im-
it takes’’ to find a vaccine and thankfully were possible to fully describe the diversity of ac-
successful. Cures allowed them to produce joint session of Congress in which we heard
from the President of Ukraine Volodymyr complishments of the honorees. Their efforts
the vaccine prior to the Emergency Use Au- contribute greatly to the quality of life for the
thorization (EUA) and be able to deliver it Zelenskyy. Earlier this year, I had a chance to
listen as Zelenskyy addressed the bipartisan residents of Fairfax County and are worthy of
across the country the very next day after re- our praise and sincere appreciation.
ceiving the EUA in December of 2020. This Problem Solvers Caucus by Zoom. It was en-
couraging to now see him in person as he It is my honor to include in the RECORD the
was probably 6–8 months earlier than would names of the 2022 Lords and Ladies Fairfax:
have happened without our legislation, saving makes the compelling case for Ukraine directly
to the American people and their representa- At-Large: Lady Nelfred Tilly Blanding and
hundreds of thousands American lives. Then- Lord Robert Pizzano, Jr.
Vice President Joe Biden played a pivotal tives. I have had the opportunity during my ca-
Braddock District: Lady Diane Hoffman
hands-on role, and we included the $1 billion reer to watch presidential national addresses and Lord Jim Hickey
Beau Biden Cancer Moonshot initiative as part and world leaders speak to the Congress such Dranesville District: Lady Lisa Merkel and
of this bill. One of our great sources was as Nelson Mandela, Queen Elizabeth, the Lord Steven Bloom
Nobel Prize winner immunologist Jim Allison Pope, and others from around the globe. I was Hunter Mill District: Lady Raba Alwan
especially proud to listen to President Letteri and Lord Kurt Rose
whose breakthroughs have been the answer Franconia District: Lady Juana Cruz and
to thousands. Zelenskyy on one of my very last days serving
in the U.S. Congress. Lord Edward D. Joseph
The terrible events of January 6 continue to Mason District: Lady Honorable Penney
dominate the news nearly two years later, in- The House and Senate cleared a $1.7 tril- Azcarate and Lord Eduardo ‘‘Eddy’’ Azcarate
cluding this week’s release of the final com- lion omnibus spending bill to keep the govern- Mount Vernon District: Lady Maria Severa
mittee report. That morning, I walked through ment open and funded through the 2023 fiscal Pangelinan and Lord Jeff Gauger
the House floor back to my Rayburn office year. I voted for the package, funding a num- Providence District: Lady Robbie Snow
and Lord Rafael L. Marin
where I watched many of the protesters pa- ber of priorities, including a 10-percent in- Springfield District: Lady Caroline Sieber
rading under my balcony to the White House crease in defense spending to $858 billion. and Lord Sam Gray
grounds. I then watched the President’s The bill also includes $1.5 billion for the Ad- Sully District: Lady Malini Puli and Lord
speech to the crowd on TV before they came vanced Research Projects Agency, that like its Sekhar Puli
back to the Capitol and certainly attempted to defense counterpart, will fund cutting-edge re- Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join
violently disrupt the counting of the electoral search that has the potential to save millions me in commending and expressing our grati-
votes cast by each state. I saw the gallows on of lives. This is the next step for 21st Century tude to these men and women who volunteer
the Capitol lawn intended for Mike Pence, and Cures. The bill also includes $45 billion to help their time and energy on behalf of our commu-
thanked some of the SWAT team members Ukraine defend its freedom and citizens nity. Their efforts, which are deserving of our
laying exhausted in the Rotunda. Chilling. against Russia’s brutal invasion, including bar- highest praise, provide immeasurable benefits
Michigan was one of the 4 states that was baric attacks on civilians and civilian infra- to their fellow residents and serve as a re-
going to be challenged despite the 154,000- structure. minder of why Fairfax County remains such a
vote difference. To date, there is still no cred- I supported Congress acting this year be- great place to live, work, and raise a family.
ible evidence that our vote was fraudulent. I cause it avoids the risk of a government shut- f
voted absentee in that election, as I did this down to start the New Year, given the narrow
last November 8, and I am confident that our majorities in the House and Senate. A shut- RECOGNIZING NICOLE DAMASCO
system works. Under the law established in down would threaten America’s security and FOR HER DISTINGUISHED PUB-
the 1800s, it only takes 1 Member from the cause disruption to vital domestic programs, LIC SERVICE
House and Senate to force the full House and including those that help improve health out-
Senate to reconsider. This week the House comes in our nation. It clears the deck for the HON. JERRY McNERNEY
and Senate adopted a legislative change re- next Congress to start fresh on FY ’24 rather OF CALIFORNIA
SSpencer on DSK126QN23PROD with REMARKS
quiring a minimum of 20 percent of each body than mop up unfinished business 4 months IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
to challenge a states’ certified count. In my es- into FY ’23.
timation we avoided a massacre of my col- Friday, December 23, 2022
leagues on the House floor by only 10–15 On a closing note, I leave you with the Mr. MCNERNEY. Madam Speaker, I ask my
minutes. Trump’s later statement that he did words of a brave young woman: colleagues to join me in recognizing my Chief
everything ‘‘totally appropriate’’ was a key fac- ‘‘How wonderful is it that nobody need of Staff, Nicole Damasco, for her outstanding
tor for my impeachment vote a week later and wait a single moment before starting to im- commitment and dedication to serving Califor-
my support for a bipartisan January 6 con- prove the world.’’—Anne Frank nia’s 9th Congressional District, the former
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