McCollum Statement on Speaker Pelosi’s Announcement That She Will Not Seek Re-Election to Democratic Leadership
Congresswoman Betty McCollum (MN-04) released the following statement today after Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced she would not seek a leadership position in the next Congress:
"Nancy Pelosi has been an amazing Speaker of the House and will go down in history as one of our nation's most effective and influential Speakers. What makes Speaker Pelosi unique is not just her leadership during tumultuous times, but her integrity and her character. I first met Nancy Pelosi as a candidate for Congress in 2000. I admired her then, joining a House of Representatives made up of just 13 percent women. As the first woman to serve as Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, her accomplishments are many: Her instrumental leadership in passing the Affordable Care Act, leading our caucus through the COVID-19 pandemic and all its uncertainties, and passing the largest infrastructure and climate change investments in our nation's history—the list goes on and on. As we have worked together throughout the years on our shared priorities of expanding health care access, promoting human rights, and creating better, brighter futures for our children, our friendship has grown, and she remains a close friend and trusted partner in this work.
"I was asked to participate in congressional delegations Speaker Pelosi led, including a 2017 trip to India, Nepal, Germany, and Belgium, meeting the estimable Dalai Lama; to the 2021 COP26 global climate conference in Glasgow; and, as Chair of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, to the Munich Security Conference in early 2022 while Russia was gearing up to attack Ukraine. Speaker Pelosi's courage and fortitude in defending democracy both internationally and here at home has been unmatched. She took on the unconscionable and at times horrifying abuses of the Trump administration and never backed down in the face of that president's abhorrent threats to our democracy, including on January 6, 2021. Under her leadership, she shepherded the House through two impeachments, and entrusted me to lead impeachment proceedings on the House Floor on January 13, 2021 to hold the president accountable for his malfeasance in office.
"Nancy has always reminded us what's important, and how the votes we cast impact the people we serve. Above all, Speaker Pelosi has always been focused on working For the Children – keeping their interests top of mind throughout her decades of service. As she retires as Speaker, I'm so grateful for her legacy and I hope to continue to keep her ethos at the forefront of all we do in the 118th Congress and beyond. I offer my sincere thanks and congratulations, and I look forward to continuing to serve with her in Congress. This country would be a very different place if not for her strong leadership. Thank you, Speaker Pelosi!"
Top: Welcoming Speaker Pelosi to Minnesota's Fourth District in 2010 to tour the revitalized St. Paul Union Depot – a massive undertaking that had received $35 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding during the Obama administration.
Bottom: Welcoming Speaker Pelosi in 2019 for a health care round table focused on the importance of Community Health Centers and the unique ways in which they provide culturally competent care to our East Metro families.