WASHINGTON — Representative Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, issued the following statement in response to Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (MD-05)’s announcement that he would not seek an elected leadership role next Congress:
“As Leader Hoyer enters the next phase of his public service, I want to join my colleagues in thanking him for his decades of commitment to the Democratic Caucus and the country.
“Leader Hoyer has been instrumental in some of the most transformational legislation of the past thirty years. He helped pass the landmark civil rights law, the Americans with Disabilities Act, in 1990, expanded health care to an additional four million children in low-income families through the State Children’s Health Insurance Program, ensured the modernization and improvement of American election administration through the Help America Vote Act, and promoted international human rights through his commendable work with the Helsinki Commission.
“We will always be grateful Leader Hoyer regularly described the Progressive Caucus as the ‘beating heart’ of the Democratic Caucus — and treated our members as such, prioritizing a progressive agenda on the House floor. He and his talented staff shepherded countless pieces of progressive legislation, including the American Rescue Plan, the Inflation Reduction Act, the MORE Act, the Dream and Promise Act, the Equality Act, and the bipartisan Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and the Sexual Harassment Act.
“We look forward to continuing to work closely with Leader Hoyer in his ongoing service to his Maryland constituents in the 118th Congress."
