Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and ex-Democratic Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) were instructed to leave their concealed offices in the Capitol on Tuesday.
Significance: The directive came from Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.) after he took on the role of speaker pro tempore. Pelosi criticized the decision, describing it as a significant break from customary practice.
In-depth: Aides from the House Administration Committee’s GOP faction conveyed McHenry’s plans to reallocate the offices, according to an email dispatched shortly after the displacement of then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), with McHenry stepping in as the interim leader.
The correspondence directed Pelosi’s team to empty the premises by the next day, after which the office locks would be altered. On that day, Pelosi was in San Francisco to attend the funeral of the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), thereby missing the vote on McCarthy’s removal. To assist with the transition, personnel from House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries’ (D-N.Y.) office offered their support.
Additionally, Hoyer’s team confirmed that he too received an order to depart from his office in the Capitol.
In response to the move, Pelosi expressed her surprise, noting, “Among the myriad vital decisions awaiting the new Republican Leadership’s attention, one of their initial measures was to command my immediate exit from my Capitol office.”
She further emphasized the abnormality of such a step, referencing her own tenure: “As a Speaker, I granted former Speaker Hastert an even more expansive set of offices indefinitely.”
Representatives for McHenry and the House Administration Committee remained silent when approached for their thoughts on the matter.
