Rep. Steny Hoyer Won’t Seek Another Term in 2026
The 86-year-old has been in Congress for 44 years.
Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD) won’t seek reelection in 2026.
The 86-year-old has been in Congress since 1981. That’s 44 years.
Hoyer served as House Majority Leader twice: from 2007 to 2011 and from 2019 to 2023.
“At this young age, it’s probably premature,” Hoyer told The Washington Post.
“I did not want to be one of those members who clearly stayed, outstayed his or her ability to do the job,” added Hoyer.
Hoyer announced his plans on the House floor this morning.
“Mr. Speaker, I have decided not to seek another term in the People’s House,” said Hoyer. “I make this decision with sadness, for I love this House, an institution the framers designed to reflect the will of the American people and to serve as the guardian of their liberty and their democracy.”
Hoyer noted the differences in Congress when he joined in 1981, obviously alluding to the divide that haunts DC today.
I have so many problems with this portion (emphasis mine):
Most Republicans and Democrats worked together in a collegial, productive way. The leaders of the House, Tip O’Neill and Bob Michael, fostered that environment. It was, of course, not a Congress without conflict. In the year to come, I will have much more to say about the issues we have grappled with and the ways this House has changed during my time.
At the outset, I said that I spoke with reluctant conviction. That reluctance is because I am deeply concerned that this house is not living up to the founders’ goals. I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to examine their conscience, renew their courage, and carry out the responsibilities that the first article of the Constitution demands. Only in that way can we ensure that our 250 years will be a preface to a stronger, brighter beacon in a free and principled democracy, a nation of laws, not of men, a nation respected around the world for its strength, certainly, but even more for the ideals it represents and the justice with which it acts, that effort must extend beyond this house.
I fear that America is heading not toward greatness, but toward smallness, pettiness, divisiveness, longness and disdainfulness. We must respect and love one another. We must remember that we are not great or unique because we say we are great, but because we are just generous and fair.
I hope that spirit can guide us the rest of this Congress, because I still have much I want to do in the coming year, not least of which is keeping the government open. To do that, we must send all our appropriations bills to the president in a bipartisan, timely fashion.
Oh, honey. The Democrats have mainly strayed away from our beloved Founders goals for decades. The Republicans are no better, but the Democrats are way worse. You all make George Washington roll in his grave every day.
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He has done enough damage so good, be gone.
What I remember is that the reason things were so friendly was that Bob Michel (no A, though pronounced the same as with one) just went along with whatever Tip O’Neill wanted.
Amen!
Reagan and O’Neill got along too.
Things were amiable between the parties for the most part. The democrats had their conservatives and the republicans their moderates.
Newt Gingrich and his generation changed everything, Some was for the good, The acrimony interjected was not,
Since then the democrats have gone off the rails completely and purged anyone not a flaming leftist. The republicans moved towards the right of center but mostly eliminated their liberal wing except in New England,
The democrats are now utterly anti-Western anti-American. Many of them if not most are steeped in socialism, feminism, black victimhood, and oppression politics. Relics like Steyer who one was probably one of the most leftist now look left of center. It goes to show how far they;ve shifted.
Actually, the acrimony began before Gingrich in ’94. In ’87 Robert Bork was nominated to the Supreme Court. The Dems went scorched earth on him and his nomination was pulled. In ’91 in the Clarence Thomas nomination debates, the dems again, especially Joe Biden, again went scorched earth.
That’s all true but those were acrimonious events directed against congressional outsiders not insiders. I don’t think congress itself became poisonous until Gingrich.
Another important event was the democratic party purge of Joe Lieberman, a very liberal democrat and democratic nominee for VP on Gore’s ticket. That was unbelievable but it is CT which now has 2 complete idiots as Senators.
In retrospect it might have all started with McGovern in 1976 and the Chicago nomination. In 1976 the democrats started to become obsessed with identity politics and began to give women more access to power in the party. That has snowballed and led to the democratic part today.,
Good riddance to bad rubbish.
bullpoop:
in a collegial, productive way. The leaders of the House, Tip O’Neill and Bob Michael, fostered that environment. It was, of course, not a Congress without conflict. In the year to come, I will have much more to say about the issues we have grappled with and the ways this House has changed during my time.
ohh ok, I change my thought
as what he really means is:
we had the gop eating out our hands which hasnt changed except for the bad orangemans influence and even though we tried to take him out
he still is running us over causing the divisions we now have
f you lefty f u
maga for the wins
““I did not want to be one of those members who clearly stayed, outstayed his or her ability to do the job,” added Hoyer.”
This fossil should have been pushed out to pasture 25 years ago.
Term limits, NOW!
Hoyer is still alive? Who knew!
Weekend at Steny’s. Mitch McConnell, Nancy Pelosi, and Turban Durbin all plan to attend.
” but toward smallness, pettiness, divisiveness, longness and disdainfulness. We must respect and love one another. ”
Hey Steny, did you deliver that message to Nancy when she ripped up a State of the Union address for the entire world to see. I highly doubt, I”ll speculate that it brought a smile to your face.