Nearly everybody assumes this is her last term, but that was the first time I had heard her speak publicly in such a valedictory way,” said Susan Page, USA Today’s Washington bureau chief and the author of Madam Speaker: Nancy Pelosi and the Lessons of Power. “I sat up when Nancy Pelosi said the reconciliation bill was the ‘culmination’ of her congressional career. For a speaker who often discusses her commitment to improving the lives of American children, the bill seems personal to her. While Democrats are still negotiating over the specifics of the spending package, the final bill is expected to include an extension of the enhanced child tax credit and funding to expand access to affordable childcare. “The speaker is not on a shift, she’s on a mission,” Hammill said.Īnd yet, some close observers of Pelosi cannot help but feel that passage of the reconciliation bill would be a fitting coda to her decades-long political career. The concern about losing leverage if Pelosi is seen as a lame-duck leader may be why the speaker’s office is quick to downplay any speculation that she may soon step down.ĭrew Hammill, a spokesperson for Pelosi, said that the speaker was focused right now on shepherding the infrastructure bill and the reconciliation package across the finish line. When a reporter asked Pelosi about that earlier pledge after the elections last year, the speaker said, “What I said then is whether it passes or not, I will abide by those limits that are there.” She added, “I don’t want to undermine any leverage I may have, but I made the statement.” The speaker is not on a shift, she’s on a mission Drew Hammill ![]() The proposal failed to gain approval, but Pelosi said that she would still abide by its terms, which would require her to step down as speaker by the end of 2022. Pelosi has served as the top Democrat in the House of Representatives for nearly 20 years, and she has given some indications that this term may be her last.Īfter Democrats regained control of the House in 2018, Pelosi was re-elected as speaker in part by voicing support for a proposal to enact term limits for the chamber’s top three leadership roles. Despite her previous promises to fellow House Democrats, it remains unclear whether Pelosi will step down as speaker at the end of this term.īut one thing is certain: whenever Pelosi does decide to call it quits, her departure will mark the end of a history-making career for the first woman ever to serve as House speaker, as well as the beginning of a new era in Democratic politics. The exchange exemplified Pelosi’s other comments about her potential retirement: a hint, chased with a heavy dose of uncertainty. “Get out of here,” Pelosi said to laughs from other reporters. ![]() Moments after Pelosi made the comment, a reporter noted that “culmination” often points to the end of an experience.
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