Steny Hoyer announces his retirement from Congress after 45 years

WASHINGTON – Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) announced Thursday that he will retire from Congress, ending his decades-long tenure in the House that included two four-year terms as Democratic majority leader.

“I wake up today with mixed emotions and reluctant convictions,” Hoyer said in remarks before the House of Representatives.

“I have decided not to run for another term in the House of the People.”

The 86-year-old Maryland Democrat has been in the House since 1981. He is widely respected by Democrats and Republicans, who cheered him when he entered the House. Some chanted: “Steny! Steny! Steny!”

Over the years, hWe helped build Democratic majorities under Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden, who passed some of their signature legislation, including the Affordable Care Act, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street reform package, the Inflation Reduction Act, and the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan, which provided Americans with cash to help them weather the pandemic crisis.

He has also been a prolific fundraiser for House Democrats. In 2024, he raised nearly $10.8 million between his campaign committee and leadership PAC.

During his remarks, Hoyer, who at times looked stunned, said that in the Congress he joined in 1981, most Republicans and Democrats “worked together in a collegial manner.” He lamented how he has changed.

“I am deeply concerned that this House is not living up to the founders’ goals,” he said. “I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to examine their consciences, renew their courage, and fulfill the responsibilities required by the first article of the Constitution.”

Without naming names, Hoyer appeared to be referring to President Donald Trump and continued: “I fear that America is headed not toward greatness but toward smallness, pettiness, division, anarchy and disdain. We must respect and love each other.”

In a testament to his bipartisan legacy, Republicans and Democrats surrounded him for hugs and handshakes after he spoke. Speaking later on the House floor, Rep. Glenn Thompson (R-Pa.) recalled that when he first came to Congress more than 15 years ago, his chief of staff singled out Hoyer as the Democratic member who “literally embodies the term ‘statesman.’”

“It really is,” Thompson said of the term applied to Hoyer. “He has not failed in that task.”

via News

During his tenure, Hoyer rose through the ranks of the party, from chairman of the Democratic Caucus to minority leader and ultimately to the role of House majority leader. He served in that position from 2007 to 2011, and again from 2019 to 2023.

In both cases, he was ranked No. 2 by Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.). When she first became speaker in 2007, Hoyer was chosen by the caucus to serve as majority leader, even though Pelosi pushed for Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.). That friction continued for years within the caucus, with Democrats generally aligning themselves with one of two sides: Pelosi’s more progressive faction or Hoyer’s more moderate faction.

When Pelosi became politically toxic in certain parts of the country, when Republicans considered her the leftist bogeyman of their party, Hoyer stepped in and recruited heavily, allowing candidates from swing states to stay away from Pelosi.

Pelosi and Hoyer have worked together in the House for decades and both kept a firm grip on their leadership positions for years. People on Capitol Hill sometimes felt bad for Hoyer, whom Pelosi essentially excluded from being the party’s top leader.

In an awkward way to address this tension, News themezone once proposed to Pelosi that she let Hoyer be speaker for a week, just to experience the glory after being her number two for so long. She didn’t like that.

“What would be the purpose?” he said with a confused laugh during an interview from 2018. “That can’t be a serious question.”

So, is the answer “no” to trying nectar for a week for Hoyer?

“For anyone,” he said.

Hoyer’s House seat is safely Democratic, so his party should have no problem retaining him in 2026.

CORRECTION: This article has been updated to correctly reflect the year in which Hoyer’s position would need to be filled.