Hoyer Statement on the Retirement of Congressman Sam Farr

WASHINGTON, DC - House Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer (MD) released the following statement today after Congressman Sam Farr (CA-20) announced he will not seek reelection in 2016:

“I join in thanking my friend and Sigma Chi brother, Sam Farr, for his twenty-three years of service to this House and to our nation as he prepares to retire at the end of the 114th Congress.  Throughout his tenure in office, Rep. Farr has been an untiring advocate for the people of California’s Central Coast and the values they hold dear, among them responsible stewardship of the environment and our oceans, support for the well-being of our veterans, and standing up for equality and human rights.  In his capacity as Ranking Member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, and the FDA, he has been a champion for California’s farmers and worked hard to defend and expand nutrition assistance programs that help fight poverty.  Rep. Farr has also been a strong proponent of the Peace Corps, in which he served as a young man, and has helped build stronger ties between the United States and Colombia.  I wish him and his wife, Shary, and their extended family all the best as he prepares to return home at the end of next year to a district whose communities will surely be very thankful for his outstanding service on their behalf.”