“I will not seek re-election to the Democratic leadership in the next legislature,” the 82-year-old political leader said in a speech on the floor, saying she wanted to usher in “a new generation.”
President Joe Biden immediately praised her, calling her a “fierce defender of democracy” and noting that Americans owe her a “deep debt of gratitude.”
To applause, Pelosi reviewed memories of her 35 years in the House, which she said she saw evolve to be “more representative of our beautiful nation.”
Pelosi, the first woman to serve as Speaker of the House, also spoke about darker times, such as the January 6, 2021 storming of the Capitol by supporters of former Republican President Donald Trump. .
“American democracy is majestic, but it is fragile,” he warned.
Pelosi kept her retirement in suspense to the very end, taking home two different versions of her speech. Starting in January, he will continue to occupy his seat in the House, but as a simple representative of California.
– “Dear companion” –
The veteran politician has held the position of “speaker” of the Lower House since January 2019, third place in the political hierarchy of the United States after those of president and vice president. She previously held it from 2007 to 2011.
A strategist with an unparalleled political gift, she is known for being Trump’s first opponent, whom she fought harshly when he was in the White House (2017-2021).
In recent months, it has been his commitment to Taiwan that has given rise to much talk: his visit to the island claimed by the Chinese authorities, in August, drew the ire of Beijing.
In late October, her husband, Paul Pelosi, was attacked at their California home by a man armed with a hammer. In reality, her target was Nancy Pelosi, whom she accused of lying and whom she intended to “break her kneecaps.”
The legislator said she was “traumatized” by the fact.
At the beginning of her speech on Thursday, she also had a few words for her husband, whom she called her “beloved partner” and “support.”
Just before the November 8 election, Pelosi told CNN that the attack would influence her decision whether or not to withdraw if the Democrats lost their majority in the House of Representatives.
And that was what happened on Wednesday night, at the end of a week of great expectation regarding the result of the elections.
According to projections, the Republicans won at least 218 of the 435 seats in the House of Representatives, a very fair majority, but enough to have blocking power on Biden’s policy until 2024.
– Congress divided –
The Democrats managed, instead, to retain control of the Senate.
Even with the slim majority they will have in the House starting in January, Republicans will have substantial power to oversee the Biden administration. They have promised to use that power for investigations into the government’s handling of the pandemic or withdrawal from Afghanistan.
They wasted no second in implementing it.
On Thursday morning, conservatives in the House of Representatives announced plans to investigate the “national security” risks posed by the Biden family’s overseas businesses.
This is not a surprise: They had already promised to investigate Hunter Biden, the president’s son accused of using his last name to do business in Ukraine and China.
With this new configuration of Congress, the ruling party will no longer be able to get important projects approved. But neither will the opposing field be able to do it.
Republicans had threatened to overturn some measures taken by the Biden administration if they regained control of both chambers. In particular, they wanted to reconsider the funds allocated to the tax services to hire new agents, or on certain reforms in the field of education.
The right could also be pickier about Washington’s help to Ukraine. He had also planned to attack abortion rights or legislate on firearms, which would push Biden to use his veto power.
Ultimately, Biden will have to use his negotiating skills, inherited from his long career as a senator, to avoid a paralysis of the federal administration (the “shutdown”).
