Missouri Republican Rep. Sam Graves, chair of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, is retiring from Congress, according to two people with direct knowledge of the decision granted anonymity to speak candidly.
Graves, a soft-spoken 62-year-old conservative and pilot from rural Tarkio, Missouri, was first elected in 2000.
He has served as the top Republican on the panel — as either chair or ranking member — since 2019. Though he was term-limited to lead the committee, he received a waiver from GOP leaders last year to remain as chair, making a pitch that he was ready to implement President Donald Trump’s priorities quickly and effectively, in particular an upcoming reauthorization of the surface transportation bill.
He has long been considered a serious lawmaker by his colleagues, focusing on policy and bipartisan deals, underscored by the 2024 reauthorization of the Federal Aviation Administration.
