December 1, 2021 11:00 a.m.
On Wednesday, Congressman Peter DeFazio announced that he will not seek re-election in 2022.
DeFazio, Chair of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, served 36 years in the House of Representatives, the longest serving House Member from Oregon and the 65th-longest serving member of the House in U.S. history.
His release said DeFazio is, “…known as a passionate progressive populist and effective legislator, has amassed major accomplishments in a broad range of areas with colleagues from across the aisle, including aviation safety, infrastructure investment and job creation, preservation of public lands and resources, fair trade and labor protections, organic farming and climate change”.
DeFazio’s statement said, “With humility and gratitude I am announcing that I will not seek re-election next year. It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as Congressman for the Fourth District of Oregon. For 36 years I have fought corporate greed and special interests to benefit Oregon’s working families – from delivering affordable health care under the Affordable Care Act, to preventing the privatization and destruction of the Social Security safety net, to protecting our natural treasures for future generations, to fighting trade policies that undermine American workers, to holding industry and regulators accountable to improve aviation safety, to asserting congressional war powers authority to stop endless wars, to making historic job-creating investments in our roads, bridges, ports and more under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Thank you for putting your trust in me”.
DeFazio said its time for him to pass the baton to the next generation so he can focus on his health and well-being. He said it was a tough decision for him, “…at a challenging time for our republic with the very pillars of our democracy under threat, but I am bolstered by the passion and principles of my colleagues in Congress and the ingenuity and determination of young Americans who are civically engaged and working for change”.
DeFazio said he still has a lot of work to do in his remaining 13 months, and he’ll be putting all his efforts into that work, including helping to pass the Build Back Better Act “…that will bring down costs for families, create jobs, fight the climate crisis and help Americans get ahead”.