The Archive

LEADER LOOK

Hoyer to exit leadership, Clyburn to stay

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer won’t run for elected Democratic leadership in the next Congress but will continue to serve in the House, according to sources close to the Maryland Democrat.

But House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn – currently the No. 3 Democrat – is expected to run for the assistant Democratic leadership position, we’re told.

When House Democrats are in the minority, the assistant Democratic leader is typically ranked as the No. 3 position. We’re told there will likely be some reshuffling in the next Congress, and the House Democratic Caucus chair will be considered more senior in the hierarchy.

The moves by Hoyer and Clyburn would clear the way for Reps. Hakeem Jeffries, Katherine Clark and Pete Aguilar to take control of the caucus as the top three Democrats. The three are expected to announce their respective leadership bids later this afternoon.

Hoyer met with Jeffries in his office Wednesday to discuss the terms of the deal. Hoyer will stay on as a member of Congress, offering to serve in an advisory capacity in Democratic leadership. That role hasn’t been determined yet.

But, most importantly, Hoyer won’t run for elected leadership and plans to endorse Jeffries for minority leader.

Hoyer informed his staff of the decision not to run for leadership late this morning. There were lots of tears in the room, we’re told. Hoyer is beloved by both his staff and many Democrats. Several lawmakers asked Hoyer to stay in elected leadership but he declined, saying he wanted to do what’s best for his colleagues.

Clyburn first discussed with Jeffries the idea of an alternative leadership role earlier this fall. Although Clyburn is expected to stay in elected leadership, as assistant Democratic leader, it’s unclear how involved he will be in the day-to-day running of the caucus or where that position will rank in Democratic leadership.

Clyburn is expected to back Jeffries for minority leader as well.

There have long been questions about what Hoyer and Clyburn would do if Pelosi stepped down at the end of this Congress, as she first promised in 2018. In the years since then, Hoyer and Clyburn have defiantly insisted they didn’t bind themselves to any term limits and wouldn’t make a similar commitment.

But there is a strong desire within the caucus for change after two decades under the same leadership regime. And Jeffries and Clark have privately made clear that while they would like to avoid a nasty public confrontation, they weren’t going to wait anymore.

Hoyer, 83, has been in Congress since 1981 and a member of House Democratic leadership since 1989. Hoyer lost the whip race to Pelosi in 2001 but has served as her No. 2 since then, making clear he one day wanted to be Democratic leader.

Clyburn, 82, first entered Congress in 1992. He became the number three House Democrat in 2006 and is the highest ranking Black lawmaker. Clyburn has enormous sway in Democratic politics. He nearly singlehandedly saved President Joe Biden’s candidacy in 2020.

— Heather Caygle, John Bresnahan and Jake Sherman

OVERSIGHT WATCH

House Republicans try to center Biden family investigation around the president

Top House Republicans today laid out their plans to investigate the business dealings of President Joe Biden’s family today, arguing the oversight efforts are squarely focused on the president.

“This is an investigation of Joe Biden, the president of the United States, and why he lied to the American people about his knowledge and participation in his family’s international business schemes,” Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.), the top Republican on the House Oversight Committee, said.

This framing is notable because of the public perception of the effort as the ‘Hunter Biden investigation.’ Here’s more from Comer:

Comer made clear that he believes Biden participated “in enriching his family,” categorizing Biden’s efforts as “abuse of the highest order.” Here’s an interim report Oversight Republicans released on their investigation into the Biden family business dealings.

Rep. Jim Jordan (Ohio), the top Republican on the House Judiciary Committee, was also present at the presser, along with other GOP lawmakers who serve on the Judiciary and Oversight committees.

Here’s how a spokesperson for Democrats on the House Oversight Committee responded to Comer’s presser:

This will be a major storyline during the next Congress. With Republicans controlling the House and Democrats running the Senate, oversight and investigations will take center stage in the absence of signature pieces of legislation. House Republican leaders know that too much of an emphasis on investigations is politically risky.

Democrats will try to make the argument that Republicans are more focused on Biden’s family than American families. We’ll have much more on this dynamic going forward.

— Max Cohen

SAME-SEX MARRIAGE

Senate likely to pass same-sex marriage bill after Thanksgiving

The Senate will vote today on the motion to proceed to the Respect for Marriage Act, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said, signaling final passage of the bill will likely occur after the Thanksgiving recess.

On Wednesday, 12 Republicans joined with all 50 Democrats to clear a key procedural hurdle on the bill. The legislation codifies same-sex marriage into federal law. Conservatives secured language in the final text that allowed religious organizations to maintain tax-exempt status even if they failed to recognize same-sex marriages.

Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) was the lead Democratic negotiator on the bill, joining with Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine), Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.), Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) to draft the legislation.

— Max Cohen

CLIP FILE

NYT

WaPo

Bloomberg

WSJ

AP

Politico