US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the first woman to hold that influential post, said Thursday she would step down as the House’s Democratic leader, a day after Republicans secured a narrow majority after mid-term elections.
Pelosi, an 82-year-old liberal from California who has twice served as House speaker, said she will remain in Congress, representing San Francisco in the House, as she has done for 35 years. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York could run to take her place as the top Democrat in the House. Jeffries would be the first black legislator to lead a major party caucus in Congress.
Pelosi received cheers from her fellow Democrats as she took her place in the House of Representatives to make the announcement and throughout her remarks.
He called the Chamber “sacred ground” and the “heart of American democracy.” She recalled that she first visited the Capitol as a child, when her father swore her in as a member of the House. She said that the camera represented “the house of the people” and that she had done “the work of the people”.
“American democracy is majestic, but it is fragile. Many of us here have witnessed our fragility firsthand, tragically in this chamber. And because of that, democracy must forever be defended from the forces that wish to harm it,” Pelosi said, alluding to the attack on the Capitol last year by supporters of former President Donald Trump.
“We the people: one country, one destiny,” Pelosi added.
Pelosi also noted the increase in the number of women serving in the House since she joined. She thanked her family and her staff.
“A new day is dawning on the horizon,” Pelosi added.
Republicans were projected to win control of the House of Representatives after last week’s midterm elections on Wednesday, giving them a narrow majority in the chamber that would allow them to impede Democratic President Joe Biden’s legislative agenda. Democrats retained control of the Senate.
Pelosi has played a key role in passing Democratic President Joe Biden’s legislative agenda in Congress, just as she did previously with Democratic President Barack Obama. He helped pass Obama’s landmark 2010 healthcare bill, as well as expanded infrastructure and climate spending under Biden. He also presided over the House of Representatives when he twice impeached Trump and has been a regular target of criticism from American conservatives.
Pelosi, who has held her seat since winning a special election in 1987, has come under pressure in recent years from younger Democrats in the House to cede power. She was the highest-ranking and most powerful elected woman in American history until Kamala Harris became vice president in January 2021. The House speaker is second in line for the presidency.
In recent days, Pelosi had said the Oct. 28 assault on her husband Paul by a politically motivated hammer-wielding intruder at their San Francisco home, as well as other factors, would influence her decision on whether to keep her relationship. leadership role.
House Democrats will vote for their leaders on November 30.
On Wednesday, House Republicans offered their initial support for Kevin McCarthy to serve as president when the next Congress takes office on January 3.
Jeffries, 52, would herald a new generation of leadership for Democrats. Pelosi’s decision may also influence whether House Democratic Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, 83, and Democratic Caucus Chief James Clyburn, 82, will seek the top Democratic seats in the new Congress that will meet on January 3.
Clyburn said that he planned to remain in leadership, but did not know what position he would take.
“It depends on the caucus,” Clyburn told reporters.
Biden turns 80 on Sunday. The aging of the Democratic Party leadership has raised questions about the next generation, even as Americans live longer.
Pelosi was first elected to the House in a special election and worked her way up the ranks, winning leadership positions before winning her first term as president in 2007.
She first served as speaker from 2007-2011, when Democrats prevailed in opposition to the Iraq war to control the House. She was president again in 2019, when Democrats rode a wave of opposition to Trump to win control of the House, and she was re-elected speaker in November 2021.
Republican control of the House, projected Wednesday, gives that party the ability not only to curb Biden’s agenda, but to launch polls that are potentially damaging to the policy of his administration and his family.
McCarthy, also from California, is currently the House Republican leader and will face a full-House election early in the new year. It is not yet clear if he will win enough support from his fellow Republicans to win the House presidency.
Information and photo credits: REUTERS
