Maryland Rep. Steny Hoyer will announce his retirement from Congress on Thursday, capping off a decades-long career that culminated in two four-year stints as House majority leader where he played a key part in passing major bills, including the Affordable Care Act.
Hoyer confirmed the news in an interview with The Washington Post that was published shortly after POLITICO’s initial report, which cited two people granted anonymity to confirm the news ahead of a public announcement.
“I did not want to be one of those members who clearly stayed, outstayed his or her ability to do the job,” he told the Post.
Hoyer, who represents a district stretching from the eastern Washington suburbs to southern Maryland, has served in Congress since 1981, rising up through the ranks to become the second-ranking House Democrat under former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.).
