Swalwell Statement on the Announcement by Speaker Pelosi

WASHINGTON, DC – Today U.S. Representative Eric Swalwell released this statement following the announcement that Speaker Nancy Pelosi will not seek re-election as Speaker of the House.

"It's been an honor to serve the past 10 years in Congress with the most effective leader the legislative branch has ever seen. Speaker Nancy D'Alesandro Pelosi has always led with her conscience, faith, loyalty to the constitution, and needs of her constituents. Political winds will blow in often unpredictable directions, but they have never thrown Speaker Pelosi off course. She has led our caucus – and our country – through terrorist attacks, two wars, a financial crisis, a pandemic, and a dark presidency that ended in a failed coup attempt at the Capitol. She never flinched even as others did.

"However, Nancy Pelosi should not be defined by the crises that she managed, but by the landmark policies that she passed including: the Affordable Care Act, Dodd-Frank, the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, the American Rescue Plan Act, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, and most recently, the Inflation Reduction Act.

"When I first arrived to Congress as a 32-year-old, I sometimes questioned if I was experienced enough for the job, but she never did. She asked me to lead the youngest Members and supported my founding of Future Forum. She also appointed me to the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, making me one of the youngest members ever appointed.

"Cultivating the next generation of leaders has always been a priority for Nancy Pelosi. When she was sworn in as Speaker for the second time, I brought my daughter Cricket. She was only two months old, but I wanted her to see a trailblazer for women's rights and equality. Today – nearly four years later – I again brought my daughter to see Nancy Pelosi's speech. Little girls like her will have countless more opportunities in life because Nancy Pelosi served."

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