Press Releases

WASHINGTON—Today, Congressman James P. McGovern (D-MA), Ranking Member of the House Rules Committee, issued this statement following an announcement from House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi that she will not seek another term in the House of Representatives:

“Every so often, history calls for a leader who can guide America through times of incredible uncertainty and concern—and remarkably, they appear exactly when our country needs them the most. Nancy D'Alesandro Pelosi is that leader. She has been unquestionably the most consequential Speaker of the House of Representatives in American history—a trailblazer whose legacy will be felt for generations to come. As she often reminds us, borrowing from Thomas Paine, ‘the times have found us.’ But the truth is that the times found her—uniquely prepared, fiercely principled, and unsurpassed in her defense of our democracy.

“Speaker Emerita Pelosi accomplished big, important, historic things. Her record of legislative accomplishment is unsurpassed: from health care to fair pay to climate action, the landmark laws she led through Congress have made a profound positive difference in the lives of millions of Americans—from San Francisco to Worcester and everywhere in between.

“She has been a beacon of hope and steadiness during a time of crisis and change—guiding Congress through a global pandemic, a vicious attack on the Capitol Building designed to overturn an election, a violent attempt on her husband’s life, and a president who is violating his oath of office and seeking to turn himself into a tyrant. Through it all, she has met the moment with an unshakable understanding of what America is all about. She has brought dignity, decency, and determination to everything she does—and has always stood up for the children, for the least of us, and for those who are left out or left behind.

“I was lucky enough to witness her leadership and courage up close and personal so many times over the years. When China tried to frustrate our trip to Tibet to talk about the Tibetan people’s struggle for human rights, she demanded they change course. When we finally landed in China, the government tried to sabotage our visit again, but she pushed on—getting us into Tibet and using her platform to decry the Chinese government for oppressing the human rights of the Tibetan people. Years later in Ukraine, despite security concerns, she insisted we walk through Kyiv to greet President Volodymyr Zelensky as the first American delegation to Ukraine following Russia’s illegal invasion.

“On a personal level, she and her family have been dear and treasured friends to me, Lisa, Patrick—and of course our beloved Molly. Because of the marble ceiling that Nancy Pelosi shattered as the first woman to hold the speaker’s gavel, Molly and millions of girls and young women like her dared to dream of possibilities that once seemed unimaginable.

“Speaker Emerita Pelosi bent the arc of history toward justice. And as a new generation takes the baton, it can do so with gratitude—for her courage, her vision, her mentorship, her strategic mastery, and her unshakable faith that even in our hardest hours, democracy is worth fighting for. It remains one of the greatest honors of my life to serve alongside her.”