Democrat Nancy Pelosi to step down from post after Republicans take over US House; check details
In congratulating top House Republican Kevin McCarthy, US President Joe Biden said he was "ready to work with House Republicans to deliver results for working families."
FollowDemocrat Nancy Pelosi, the first female speaker of the US House of Representatives, onThursday (November 17) said that she would step down as party leader as Republicans take over of the chamber in January.
In an emotional speech on the House floor, the 82-year-old Pelosi said, "I will not seek reelection to Democratic leadership in the next Congress. The hour has come for a new generation to lead the Democratic caucus."
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Last week, the Republicans secured a slim majority in the House during the midterm elections while Democrats retained control of the Senate.
Pelosi's departure as party leader will mark the end of an era in Washington.
Elected to Congress in 1987, Nancy Pelosi first became speaker in 2007. Known for keeping a tight grip on party ranks, she presided over both impeachments of former US President Donald Trump.
Currently second in the line of succession to President Joe Biden, Pelosi said last week that her decision on the future would be influenced by the brutal attack on her elderly husband in the runup to the November 8 midterms.
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Earlier, Paul Pelosi (82) was hospitalised with serious injuries after an intruder, who was likely looking for the speaker, broke into their San Francisco home and attacked him with a hammer.
Pelosi said she would continue to represent her San Francisco district in the next Congress and praised Democrats' better-than-expected performance in the midterm contest.
"Last week, the American people spoke and their voices were raised in defense of liberty, of the rule of law and of democracy itself," she said. "The people stood in the breach and repelled the assault on democracy."
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In congratulating top House Republican Kevin McCarthy, US President Joe Biden said he was "ready to work with House Republicans to deliver results for working families."
McCarthy, who has his eye on the speaker's gavel, said for his part that "Americans are ready for a new direction, and House Republicans are ready to deliver."
