Rep. Steny Hoyer of Maryland, the longest-serving Democrat in Congress, announced Thursday that he will retire at the end of his current term. The 86-year-old, who first arrived in the House in 1981 after a special election, delivered a 10-minute floor speech warning that the chamber “is not living up to the Founders’ goals.” Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle stood and applauded when he finished, coming forward one by one to shake his hand or embrace him.
Hoyer’s departure marks another milestone in a generational turnover in Democratic leadership, following former Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s announcement that she would also end her career after this term. His retirement adds to a broader wave of senior members on both sides of the aisle stepping aside ahead of November’s midterm elections, which will determine control of Congress.
Floor Speech
Choking up at times, Hoyer reflected on the House he entered more than four decades ago as a place where “most Republicans and Democrats worked together in a collegial and productive way,” contrasting it with what he described as a political climate that rewards hard-line positions over compromise.
“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,” Hoyer said. “Only in that way can we insure that our 250 years will be a preface to a stronger, brighter beacon in a free and principled democracy.”
He said that in his remaining year he will have “much more to say about the issues we have grappled with and the ways this House has changed during my time.”
Republican Rep. Glenn Thompson of Pennsylvania spoke immediately after Hoyer, praising him as a statesman who served through an era of deepening national division.
“I just offer my congratulations to his announced retirement and my thanks for his service as a statesman, especially at a time of what we have been living through of growing divisiveness,” Thompson said.
Career in Leadership
Hoyer climbed quickly after his 1981 arrival, eventually becoming the No. 2 Democrat in the House. He served as majority leader after Democrats swept to power following the 2006 elections and again beginning in 2019, when Democrats regained control during President Donald Trump’s first term. Through those years he worked as both partner and occasional rival to Pelosi, forming part of a trio of top Democrats alongside Rep. James Clyburn of South Carolina.
That period of Democratic governance produced some of the party’s most significant legislative achievements under President Barack Obama, including the Affordable Care Act. Hoyer also counts among his career achievements the co-sponsorship of the Americans with Disabilities Act, which became law in 1990.
During periods in the minority, Hoyer championed what he called his “Make it in America” agenda aimed at boosting domestic industry, production, and jobs, and he worked to court blue-collar voters in districts outside traditional Democratic strongholds.
The Decision
Hoyer told the Associated Press he arrived at the decision gradually, in consultation with his wife and close friends over the preceding three to four months.
“I’ve been discussing it with some of my friends, and I just decided now is the right time,” he said.
He said he intends to use his final year to advance appropriations legislation and avoid another federal government shutdown, adding that he will work “to see if we can get some more bipartisanship.”
Hoyer represents a district stretching from the suburbs of Washington to southern Maryland. He won re-election in 2024 with about 68% of the vote in a state where Democrats outnumber Republicans 2-to-1.