Staff Report –

WASHINGTON, D.C. – House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer of Greenbelt, Maryland will not seek a leadership role in the 118th Congress, according to an email message to colleagues and supporters.

His announcement comes as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the face of House Democrats for two decades and the first woman to serve in the post, announced on Thursday that she would leave leadership in January following narrow election losses that cost Democrats their majority, although she too said she would remain in Congress.

Pelosi, the Californian who twice led Democrats to power in the House and has been a central figure in the major legislative accomplishments of the Obama and Biden administrations, announced her plans in a midday floor speech on the House floor, a day after Republicans clinched control of the chamber.

Both announcements mark the end of an era on Capitol Hill.

Hoyer released the following letter Thursday to announce he will not seek an elected leadership position in the 118th Congress.

Steny Hoyer

Dear Colleague,

House Democrats defied every expectation in the 2022 midterms. We do not yet know the final margins for the House, but it is clear we beat all the odds, historical trends, and doomsday predictions. It is evident that voters continued to put their trust in Democrats to represent them in districts across America. I am so proud of each and every one of you for your talent, intellect, enthusiasm, commitment, investment, and service to our Caucus, our party, and our country.

During this campaign, Republicans focused on questioning the 2020 election, rooting for an economic recession, and restricting women’s reproductive freedom. We can see clearly from the results that Americans rejected the fearmongering and divisiveness of the Republican Party. They rejected Trumpism, and they rejected a party that called the violent and deadly January 6 insurrection “legitimate political discourse”.

Instead, voters chose Democrats across the country, from statehouses to secretary of state offices and for the U.S. House and Senate. This is because Democrats spent the past two years addressing the very real economic challenges facing our people. We delivered results that reopened and strengthened our economy, created millions of good jobs, made our communities safer from gun violence, and took steps to address inflation, which we know continues to pose a serious and painful challenge to American families.

The 117th Congress was one of great accomplishment for the prosperity and security of every American. We should all be proud of what we Democrats did over the past two years. We united behind the American Rescue Plan and the Inflation Reduction Act to help Americans weather the worst of the pandemic, address the climate crisis, and its lingering economic effects. We also cultivated bipartisan support for historic pieces of legislation to rebuild our nation’s infrastructure, revitalize American manufacturing, expand health care for our veterans, and promote safer communities.

The challenge we now face is to make sure, as we did in defending the Affordable Care Act, that the gains we made for working Americans are not squandered through the actions of the party that has far too frequently said to the American people “you are on your own.” That is what Republicans have made their hallmark in recent years and have promised to make the foundation of any House Majority.

I am proud of the role I have played over the last four decades to make America a more perfect and inclusive union. Furthermore, I am profoundly grateful to my constituents and to my colleagues for giving me this opportunity.

In May of this year, I will have served in the Congress for forty-two years. Thirty-six of those years, I have been honored to serve in the Democratic leadership. I continue to be blessed by God with good health and a zeal for public service and a determination to build a country that honors its best values and vision and continues to be a land in which our people can “Make it in America.”

Like my dear friend, John Lewis, I believe God’s work for us is to create that “beloved community” for which John worked so consistently and courageously. I believe there is much for me still to do in pursuit of that endeavor.

I believe that it is time for me, however, to continue my service in a different role. Therefore, I have decided not to seek elected leadership in the 118th Congress. I do intend to continue my service in Congress and return to the Appropriations Committee as a member to complete work in which I have been involved for many years, including my focus on education, health care, and investing in America’s productive manufacturing capacity to create more jobs and opportunities for our people. I also look forward to continuing my focus on voting rights, civil rights, and human rights which I have made priorities throughout my public life.

During that time, I have been honored to serve alongside Nancy Pelosi, whose tenure as Speaker was both historic and extraordinarily productive. The impact of her leadership will surely be felt for a long time to come, from expanded access to affordable health care for millions of our people to the enactment of landmark climate legislation and so many other legislative victories “For the People.” Along with our partner Jim Clyburn, our leadership team proved that Democrats can not only govern effectively but also that we can deliver on our party’s vision for a stronger, safer, and more democratic and more equal nation where more of our people can Make It In America.

Now is the time for a new generation of leaders, and I am proud to offer my strong endorsement to Hakeem Jeffries for Democratic Leader, a role in which he will make history for the institution of the House and for our country. He is a skilled and capable leader who will help us win back the Majority in 2024 as we strive to continue delivering on our promises to the American people. I look forward to serving as a resource to him, to the rest of our Democratic leadership team, and to our entire Caucus in whatever capacity I can best be of assistance as we move forward together to address the nation’s challenges.

I want again to express my deep gratitude to so many colleagues, on both sides of the aisle, who have, over the years, made my service in the Congress and in leadership so very rewarding. I am grateful as well for the support I’ve had from my late wife Judy, our daughters, our grandchildren, and our great-grandchildren, and I have been blessed with an extraordinarily talented and dedicated staff.

I look forward to working with all of you in the coming days and months to pursue the policies that will build a stronger, fairer, and more just America “For the People.” Together we can protect our democracy and our nation’s transcendent values as well as to continue making the House of Representatives an agent for constructive action and positive and respectful debate.

I am honored to serve with you, and I look forward to what we will surely accomplish together in the years ahead.

Sincerely yours,

STENY H. HOYER
House Majority Leader