| Hola, Early Birds. There's a "wicked big storm" headed our way. What will you do? We'll be staring at our inbox, waiting for your tips. Ha, jk – we'll be playing La Palabra. | | |  | On the Hill | | Fred Upton talks to us about whether he'll run against a fellow House Republican, and the 'nasty calls' he's received |  (Washington Post illustration; Susan Walsh/AP; iStock) | | | Eleven questions for … Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.): We chatted with the former House Energy and Commerce Committee chairman on Monday about whether he'll run for reelection, his closest Democratic friends and the threats he's gotten since voting for the bipartisan infrastructure bill. This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity. The Early: You worked with President Biden on a cancer research bill during the Obama administration, and he praised you in 2018 as "one of the finest guys I've ever worked with." How do you think the Biden presidency is going one year in? Upton: They've had some tough slogs, let's face it, between what happened in Afghanistan [and] inflation. A number of us on both sides of the aisle met with key White House staff early on. There was room for a bipartisan covid package last year that fell apart early. They missed some really good opportunities for bipartisan support to bring us together to make up for what we saw the previous four years. The Early: Who is your closest friend on the other side of the aisle? Upton: [Rep.] Debbie Dingell [(D-Mich.)] is a really good friend of mine. [Rep.] Diana DeGette [(D-Colo.)] I'm close to [Rep.] Dan Kildee [(D-Mich.)]. We've done a lot of things together. When I was chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee — [Kildee], of course, represents Flint — and the first bill he passed in Congress was his bill through my committee, dealing with the Flint water crisis. [Rep.] Kweisi Mfume [(D-Md.)] is a wonderful friend of mine. The Early: You tweeted last month that you've "been strongly encouraged to seek another term," even if it means running against Rep. Bill Huizenga (R-Mich.) after your districts were combined in redistricting. Have you decided whether you're going to run or not? | | Upton: No, we haven't. We're getting closer to a decision but, again, last week there was a map challenge presented to the court. A week ago the Ohio courts knocked out their congressional map. So we'll decide soon what to do. It's never any fun to run against a friend. We've had a number of primaries in the past — never against a fellow incumbent. The Early: What's your timeline for making a decision? Upton: Well, the filing deadline's not till late April. We'll make it in the next couple of weeks, for sure. The Early: You were one of 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach former president Donald Trump last year. Huizenga was not among them. You also have a primary challenger whom Trump has endorsed. How do you think all that will play out if you decide to run? Upton: The big objection that I had to Trump was what happened on Jan. 6. He was quoted as saying that [his conduct that day] was, in his words, "totally appropriate." And I think as the investigation of the January 6 committee continues, it sure doesn't appear that was correct. But we'll wait for those findings to come about. Will it have an impact? I'm sure that it will. But it looks like it'll be a multicandidate field. Who knows how many people will enter the race. But I don't have any qualms about my vote — and neither do any of the other nine [House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump]. The Early: Have you talked with Huizenga about possibility of running against each other? Upton: Briefly. We've only been in a couple days [since the new map] came out. He's been making calls for a couple months into my district. But again, the maps may still change. The Early: Your office shared a clip with CNN a couple of months ago of one of the death threats that you received after voting for the bipartisan infrastructure bill. How does that play into your decision whether to run again, if at all? Upton: It doesn't. I feel safe. We've done a number of different things, working with law enforcement. I got a couple of nasty calls this morning at 1:30. You get a thick skin quick. But you also have a good relationship with our law enforcement people. And we do. I just hope nobody gets hurt — none of my colleagues, obviously, but I see it with school board folks [too]. Sometimes these jobs aren't so pleasant. | | The Early: I'm sorry to hear you got those calls as recently as last night. Upton: It was actually this morning. It was at 1:34. The Early: I understand if you'd rather not share any more details, but can say anything about what the calls were like? Upton: This call was out of state. A huge majority of callers were from out of state. We've had death threats. It sort of comes with the territory a little bit. We're careful. I don't publicize my schedule, my public schedule. Because of covid, we haven't done parades in a while. Sadly we're seeing an angry public on a variety of fronts. It doesn't bode well if you look to the future. The Early: What was the last book you finished. And what are you reading now? Upton: I'm reading two books right now. I'm reading [former Food and Drug Administration commissioner] Scott Gottlieb's book. I'm about 100 pages into it. I also just started reading "The Hundred-Year Marathon: China's Secret Strategy to Replace America as the Global Superpower," by Michael Pillsbury. I'm on page 60. Just got it on Friday. My wife just put a book on my bed: "Midlife Orphan: Facing Life's Changes Now that Your Parents Are Gone." My parents are still here, that's the good news — 97 and 92. I'm a reader. I read on the planes. My wife's into Kindle. But I still like to get the whole book. The Early: To steal a question that New York magazine used to ask New Yorkers: Who is your favorite Michigander, living or dead, real or fictional? Upton: I really oughta say my dad. He's 97. World War II vet. Battle of the Bulge. Still lives at home. They can't take the winter, so he's down south for another month or two. He's my favorite guy. He grew up in my hometown. He lives across the street. A successful businessman. Ardent University of Michigan guy. That's who it's gotta be. | | .@Rep.FredUpton on the Biden White House's first year | "They missed some really good opportunities for bipartisan support to bring us together to make up for what we saw the previous four years." | | | | | | | It wasn't your typical first year for Congress's freshmen |  People shelter in the House gallery as protesters try to break into the House Chamber at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021. (Andrew Harnik/AP Photo) | | | The freshman blues: "It has been a long, weird first year in office for the 17 newest Democratic members of Congress," our colleague Ben Terris writes. "It began as it always does, with a chance for colleagues to get to know one another. But instead of doing so over cheese cubes and wine, newcomer Rep. Sara Jacobs (D-Calif.) did many of her introductions cowering under a chair while clutching a gas mask." | - Jacobs "had expected to be sipping champagne with fellow freshman Rep. Nikema Williams (D-Ga.) to celebrate their party's Senate wins in Georgia. Instead, she found herself sipping whisky after hiding out from a mob in Rep. Jason Crow's office."
- "I never got the, 'Wow, this is Congress,' moment," she told Terris. "It was, like, immediately, 'Holy s---, this is the place they tried to kill me.'"
- "This version of Congress is the only one the freshmen have known: A place of metal detectors, contagion, fights over face masks and Republican colleagues who disagree with them not just on public policy but also about reality, beginning with whether Trump actually lost the 2020 election. (He did.)"
| | |  | At the White House | | It's back to Pittsburgh for Biden |  Then-Democratic Joe Biden speaks next to his campaign train while making a campaign stop in Pittsburgh in September 2020. REUTERS/Mike Segar/File Photo | | | Flying in: Biden is returning this afternoon to Pittsburgh — one of his go-to backdrops for big speeches on rebuilding the country. Biden kicked off his presidential campaign in 2019 at a Pittsburgh union hall, and he headed back to the city last year to announce the details of his infrastructure plan at a training center right outside the city limits. This time around, Biden will visit an old steel mill that now houses Carnegie Mellon University's Manufacturing Futures Institute. He's expected to tout the job growth in the first year of his presidency, including 367,000 new manufacturing jobs, according to a White House official. He'll also talk up the bipartisan infrastructure law and urge Congress to pass legislation to compete with China. Rep. Conor Lamb (D-Pa.), a Biden ally who's running for Senate, is expected to appear with him. But two other Pennsylvania Democrats who were invited — Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, who's also running for Senate, and Attorney General Josh Shapiro, who's running for governor — are skipping the event, citing scheduling conflicts, per the Associated Press. | | |  | The Media | | | |  | Viral | | | 2022 Prediction: Stress |  | | | | | | AM/PM | | Looking for more analysis in the afternoon? | | | | Weekday newsletter, PM |  | | | | | | |
