A Republican congressman who crossed the aisle to vote for a Biden-backed infrastructure spending bill says he and his family have faced death threats after casting his vote.
Rep. Fred Upton, R-Michigan, shared with CNN clips of threatening phone calls placed to his office in recent days after he voted in favor of Biden's $1.2 trillion infrastructure package.
In one threatening voicemail, a caller labeled him a "f****** piece of s*** traitor."
"I hope you die. I hope everybody in your f****** family dies," the caller said.
The caller later added that he hoped everyone on Upton's staff would die.
"To say the least, that truly is frightening," Upton said Monday during an appearance on CNN. "...I'll tell you it's a terrible way — we have seen civility really downslide here."
Upton was one of 13 Republican members of Congress to vote in favor of Biden's infrastructure package. The bill will provide federal funds to fix roads, bridges, the power grid and expand high-speed internet access.
According to USA Today, Upton and other Republicans who supported the bill started getting threatening messages after Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Georgia, tweeted the phone numbers of every GOP member who voted for the bill.
Upton was also one of just 10 Republican House members who voted earlier this year to impeach then-President Donald Trump following the Jan. 6 riots at the Capitol.
I regret that this good, bipartisan bill became a political football in recent weeks. Our country can’t afford this partisan dysfunction any longer. #MI06 #Infrastructure
— Rep. Fred Upton (@RepFredUpton) November 6, 2021