House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who has led Democrats in the US House of Representatives for nearly two decades, has announced her resignation. The 82-year-old is the most powerful Democrat in Congress and the House’s first female speaker.
She will continue to represent her California district in the House of Representatives. Her resignation comes as Republicans are expected to retake control of the House in the aftermath of the midterm elections.
Republican Kevin McCarthy has won his party’s nomination to be the new House Speaker, and he is expected to succeed Nancy Pelosi.
“I never imagined that one day I would go from homemaker to House Speaker,” Nancy Pelosi said in a statement in the chamber on Thursday.
“I will not run for Democratic leadership in the next Congress. The time has come for a new generation of Democrats to lead the Democratic caucus, “She stated.
Nancy Pelosi Started in 1987
Mrs. Pelosi will serve as speaker until January, when a new Congress takes office and will remain in the position she first held in 1987 until January 2025.
Hakeem Jeffries, a congressman from New York, is widely expected to take over as House Democratic leader, making him the first black congressional leader in US history.
The only congressional job specified in the US Constitution is that of Speaker of the House. It is the second in line to the presidency after the vice president.
The speaker, deputies, and committee chairs determine what bills are considered and voted on. They set the agenda and establish the ground rules for debate.
Mrs. Pelosi was elected minority leader, the title held by the person who leads the House opposition, in 2003. In 2006, the Democrats took control of the House for the first time in more than a decade, and she became the first woman to lead a major political party in either chamber of Congress.
Mrs. Pelosi became minority leader again four years later but was re-elected speaker in 2019.
Nancy Pelosi will be remembered as one of the most effective US congressional leaders in history, both as a valuable asset to Democrats and a formidable opponent to Republicans.
Press Conferences and Speeches Uninspiring
Her legislative savvy, impeccable sense of legislative timing, and instinct for political theatre have made her a force on Capitol Hill and a lightning rod for criticism.
Her press conferences and speeches were uninspiring. Her ability to keep her fractious and frequently slim majority in the chamber together on key votes, on the other hand, had few rivals.
Her strength, however, has come at a cost. She became a righteous hobgoblin in part because of these abilities.
Her two-decade-long stranglehold on House Democrats has also stifled the development of younger leaders within the chamber. They may finally get their chance now. They will, however, have big shoes to fill.
Mrs. Pelosi’s role as speaker was critical in advancing – or thwarting – the agendas of multiple presidents.
She is widely credited with shepherding former President Barack Obama’s signature healthcare legislation and bills addressing infrastructure and climate change under President Joe Biden.
Nancy Pelosi Hated Trump
Throughout his presidency, Mrs. Pelosi has directly challenged Donald Trump, famously ripping up a copy of his State of the Union address behind his back.
Rumours about her future circulated following a violent break-in at her home last month, which left her husband Paul, 82, in need of skull surgery.
On Thursday, lawmakers applauded her as she thanked them for their prayers and spoke of her “beloved partner in life and my pillar of support.”
According to the Washington Post, she later stated that she has been dealing with “survivor’s guilt” since the attack because her husband was injured “because they were looking for me.”
Former Pelosi chief of staff John Lawrence told the BBC that he expected her to play an important role in counselling new members of Congress and working with the White House now that Democrats were back in the minority.
“There’s never a good time to leave,” he explained. “When you’re on top, you want to accomplish a lot, and when things aren’t going your way, you want to fight back.”
President Biden called Pelosi “the most consequential speaker of the House of Representatives in our history” in a statement on Thursday.
