LEADER JEFFRIES STATEMENT ON RETIREMENT ANNOUNCEMENT OF ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON

Today, Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries released the following statement after Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton announced she would not seek another term in the House of Representatives: 

Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton’s trailblazing career has been defined by her fight for racial, economic and gender equity in the District of Columbia and across the nation.

Growing up in a segregated DC and witnessing injustice all around her, Congresswoman Norton was called to action. During the Civil Rights Movement, she was a member of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and helped organize the March on Washington. She later served as the first female Chair of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, establishing landmark workplace guidelines against sexual harassment.

For 35 years in the Congress and as a Member of the Committee on Oversight, she relentlessly fought for DC statehood and championed the rights and representation that Washingtonians deserve and has led the movement to defend home rule. Congresswoman Norton was instrumental in creating and protecting the DC Tuition Assistance Grant, brought much-needed economic development and financial help to DC and made homeownership more affordable and accessible. As a Member of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, Eleanor has worked to modernize and improve our transportation systems and made DC’s infrastructure more reliable.

Congresswoman Norton leaves behind a lasting impact and will be deeply missed by the House Democratic Caucus family. We wish her and her family the best in this next chapter.