Hoyer Statement on the Retirement of Representative Lois Capps

WASHINGTON, DC - House Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer (MD) released the following statement today after Representative Lois Capps (D-CA) announced she will not seek reelection in 2016:

“I have been privileged to serve alongside Lois Capps for seventeen years.  She has not only been a strong leader in Congress but also a dear friend to me and so many of her colleagues on both sides of the aisle, always ready with a smile when one is needed and reassuring in moments of difficult debate.  

“Lois has not only been a very effective Representative on behalf of the families and businesses of California’s Central Coast; she has also been a national leader in the fight to expand access to quality education, protect the environment, and help veterans find housing and employment.  She played an important role in securing the compromise necessary to pass the Affordable Care Act in the House, which has helped millions in California and across America secure affordable health coverage and has ended discriminatory practices against patients and consumers, drawing on her more than two decades as a nurse in Santa Barbara. 

“I will miss her presence in the House after she retires at the end of the 114^th Congress, and I look forward to continuing our work together over the coming months.”