Rep. Steny Hoyer, a veteran Maryland Democrat and one of the longest-serving lawmakers in modern congressional history, is preparing to announce his retirement, bringing to a close a House career that began in 1981 and a public service record spanning more than six decades.
Hoyer, 86, who has represented Maryland’s 5th Congressional District for more than 40 years, intends to make the formal announcement during a speech on the House floor on Thursday, according to people familiar with his plans.
In comments to The Washington Post, Hoyer framed his decision as a matter of institutional responsibility rather than personal exhaustion. “I did not want to be one of those members who clearly stayed, outstayed his or her ability to do the job,” he said. He added that he plans to publicly announce his retirement in a speech on the House floor Thursday.
Hoyer’s departure marks the end of an era for House Democrats. For decades, he occupied the uppermost tier of party leadership, often serving as the second-highest-ranking Democrat alongside then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi. His leadership résumé includes stints as House Democratic Caucus chair from 1989 to 1995, House Democratic whip from 2003 to 2007 and again from 2011 to 2019, and House majority leader from 2007 to 2011 and from 2019 to 2023.
Widely regarded by colleagues as a steward of congressional norms and procedures, Hoyer built a reputation as a deal-oriented institutionalist who regularly worked across party lines. Even in retirement, he has emphasized his confidence in Congress as a governing body, signaling that his farewell remarks will differ in tone from the more pessimistic departures of some of his contemporaries.
The announcement follows Nancy Pelosi’s own decision, revealed two months ago, to step aside at the conclusion of the current term. With Pelosi’s plans made public, attention had shifted to Hoyer and Rep. Jim Clyburn, the remaining pillars of an older Democratic leadership generation that ceded formal power to younger members after the 2022 elections.
With the retirement of the old guard, Americans should expect Democrats to become even more liberal as younger members of Congress, like AOC and The Squad, begin to take up leadership positions.
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