DeFazio Stepping Down From Congress After 36 Years

December 2, 2021 by Dan McCue
DeFazio Stepping Down From Congress After 36 Years
House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chair Peter DeFazio, right, speaks during a news conference with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., center, and Richmond (Va.) Mayor Levar Stoney, left, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (Jacquelyn Martin /Associated Press)

WASHINGTON — Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Oregon, chair of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee is stepping down at the end of the current Congress.

He told colleagues he decided not to seek a 19th term to have more time to look after his health and well-being after undergoing back surgery in October.

First elected to the House in 1986, DeFazio is the longest serving House Member from Oregon and the 65th-longest serving member of the House in U.S. history.

In a statement, DeFazio said he is leaving Congress with a deep sense of “humility and gratitude.”

“It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as congressman for the Fourth District of Oregon,” he said. “For 36 years I have fought corporate greed and special interests to benefit Oregon’s working families.”

Among the accomplishments of which he said he was most proud were “delivering affordable health care under the Affordable Care Act, preventing the privatization and destruction of the Social Security safety net, protecting our natural treasures for future generations, fighting trade policies that undermine American workers, holding industry and regulators accountable to improve aviation safety, and asserting congressional war powers authority to stop endless wars.”

The icing on the cake, of course, for a lawmaker who spent so much time thinking and talking and working on infrastructure was the recent passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which he said will make “historic job-creating investments in our roads, bridges, ports and more.”

After thanking his voters for putting their trust in him, DeFazio said “it’s time for me to pass the baton.”

“This was a tough decision at a challenging time for our republic with the very pillars of our democracy under threat, but I am bolstered by the passion and principles of my colleagues in Congress and the ingenuity and determination of young Americans who are civically engaged and working for change,” he said.

He also noted, as have other members who have bowed out of the 2022 election before him, that there are still 13 months to go before he departs.

During that time, he said, he will be “putting all of my efforts into … helping pass the Build Back Better Act that will bring down costs for families, create jobs, fight the climate crisis and help Americans get ahead.”

In addition to and often in concert with his work on infrastructure, DeFazio has been a consistent voice in the push for a more aggressive U.S. policy on addressing climate change and safeguarding the environment.

Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., who shares many of DeFazio’s interests, said his colleague “blends all the best qualities of a top-notch legislator — he’s an effective, passionate and powerful advocate who always puts the best interests of his constituents first.” 

“Thanks to Peter DeFazio, roads, bridges and transportation systems in Oregon and nationwide are stronger, last longer and are cleaner and greener,” he said.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called DeFazio “an absolute force for progress” in a written statement, saying he’s “known and respected by all as a champion of sustainable, smart and green infrastructure, whose progressive values, passion and persistence have helped rebuild America and the middle class.”  

“His legislative successes — including expanding preservation and conservation efforts, protecting affordable health care, advancing tribal sovereignty, rebuilding our highways, ensuring aviation safety and, most recently, helping pass the historic, once-in-a-century Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Build Back Better Act — leave an outstanding legacy of progress for America’s children and future,” Pelosi said.

Upon learning of DeFazio’s decision, Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton, D-D.C., said she will run for chair or ranking member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee for the 118th Congress.

Norton is currently the most senior Democrat on the committee after DeFazio and chair of its largest subcommittee, the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit. 

“We all must thank Chair DeFazio for his devoted service to his district, his committee, and our country,” Norton said in a statement. “Furthermore, Chair DeFazio has been a strong supporter of statehood for the District of Columbia, for which I will always be grateful. I wish him many years of health and happiness in his next chapter.”

Dan can be reached at [email protected] and at https://twitter.com/DanMcCue

A+
a-
  • Congress
  • Oregon
  • Peter DeFazio
  • Retirement
  • In The News

    Health

    Voting

    Political News

    March 28, 2024
    by Dan McCue
    Elections Task Force Prosecutes 2020 ‘Vigilantes,’ Seeks More Civic Dialogue

    PHOENIX, Ariz. — A 46-year-old Ohio man has been sentenced to 30 months in prison for sending death threats to... Read More

    PHOENIX, Ariz. — A 46-year-old Ohio man has been sentenced to 30 months in prison for sending death threats to an Arizona election official. The sentencing of Joshua Russell, of Bucyrus, Ohio, came after he pleaded guilty to one count of making a threatening interstate communication.... Read More

    March 28, 2024
    by Dan McCue
    Vice President Harris Rolls Out First Government-Wide Policy to Mitigate AI Risks

    WASHINGTON — Vice President Kamala Harris on Wednesday rolled out the Biden administration’s first government-wide policy intended to mitigate the... Read More

    WASHINGTON — Vice President Kamala Harris on Wednesday rolled out the Biden administration’s first government-wide policy intended to mitigate the risks associated with artificial intelligence while still enabling its use to advance the public interest. The new policy, which is being issued through the White House... Read More

    March 27, 2024
    by Dan McCue
    New Dem Chair Kuster Announces Retirement Following 2024 Election

    CONCORD, N.H. — Rep. Annie Kuster, D-N.H., who, among other things, is the current chair of the New Democrat Coalition... Read More

    CONCORD, N.H. — Rep. Annie Kuster, D-N.H., who, among other things, is the current chair of the New Democrat Coalition in the House, revealed Wednesday that she will not seek reelection to Congress this year. In a lengthy statement released by her office, Kuster gives no... Read More

    March 25, 2024
    by Dan McCue
    CPAC Releases Ranking of Most Conservative Members of Congress

    WASHINGTON — The Conservative Political Action Conference, also known as CPAC, on Monday released its annual ranking of members of... Read More

    WASHINGTON — The Conservative Political Action Conference, also known as CPAC, on Monday released its annual ranking of members of the House and Senate based on their conservative bona fides or lack thereof. To produce this year’s scorecard, the CPAC foundation’s Center for Legislative Accountability analyzed... Read More

    March 22, 2024
    by Dan McCue
    After a Decade on Capitol Hill, Brad Howard Steps Out on His Own

    WASHINGTON — After a decade on Capitol Hill, most recently as chief of staff for former Rep. Stephanie Murphy, D-Fla.,... Read More

    WASHINGTON — After a decade on Capitol Hill, most recently as chief of staff for former Rep. Stephanie Murphy, D-Fla., and communications director of the Blue Dog Coalition, Brad Howard knew it was time for change. “It was time to move into the private sector,” he... Read More

    March 22, 2024
    by Dan McCue
    Greene Files Motion to Vacate Speaker’s Chair

    WASHINGTON — For the second time in five months, a member of the Republican Conference in the House has filed... Read More

    WASHINGTON — For the second time in five months, a member of the Republican Conference in the House has filed a motion to vacate the chair of the party’s speaker. But this time, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., says the motion is intended merely as a... Read More

    News From The Well
    scroll top