WASHINGTON, D.C.  – U.S. Rep. Fred Upton, R-St. Joseph, issued the following statement after Britain’s monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, passed away:

“For more than 70 years, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth projected grace and steady leadership as the United Kingdom’s head of state and head of the Commonwealth. I had the distinct pleasure of attending her address to a joint session of Congress in 1991, and her message resonated then as it does now—freedom of the individual and the rule of a fair and just law are the bedrock of the Western world. She went on to warn of the importance of stopping aggressors then, noting ‘we must not allow aggression to succeed.’ Her message against Saddam Hussein’s invasion of Kuwait is just as salient today given Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. 

“We honor Her Majesty’s service to the people of Britain and to the cause of freedom. She served for 70 years and yet it does not seem long enough. My thoughts and prayers are with the family of the Queen and for the people of Britain and the Commonwealth.”

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