\u201cIt\u2019s an historic moment for the Congress. It\u2019s an historic moment for the women of America. It is a moment for which we have waited over 200 years,\u201d said United States Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi in January 2007, upon becoming the speaker of the US House of Representatives.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor our daughters and our granddaughters, today we have broken the marble ceiling,\u201d she added, addressing an applauding audience at the House in Washington, DC.<\/p>\n list of 3 items<\/span>end of list<\/span><\/section>\n Pelosi, 85, who has served as the Democratic representative for California\u2019s 11th Congressional District since 1987, made history when she was elected as the 52nd speaker of the House of Representatives \u2013 as the first-ever woman \u2013 and served from 2007 to 2011. She later served again from 2019 to 2023.<\/p>\n On Thursday this week, she announced her retirement from Congress as of January next year.<\/p>\n Paying tribute to her home city of San Francisco, she announced her decision in a video message, telling and citizens of the city: \u201cIt was the faith that you had placed in me and the latitude that you have given me that enabled me to shatter the marble ceiling and be the first woman speaker of the House, whose voice would certainly be heard.<\/p>\n \u201cI want you, my fellow San Franciscans, to be the first to know I will not be seeking re-election to Congress,\u201d Pelosi, 85, added.<\/p>\n \u201cWith a grateful heart, I look forward to my final year of service as your proud representative.\u201d<\/p>\n Seen as one of the most powerful figures in the modern Democratic Party and one of the most powerful women in US politics, Pelosi was re-elected as speaker of the House in 2019 and served until 2023.<\/p>\n At the end of her second tenure, she stepped down from House leadership for the Democratic Party but retained the honorary title of speaker emerita of the House.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s what we know:<\/p>\n Nancy Patricia Pelosi was born on March 26, 1940, in Baltimore, Maryland, and is the only daughter and youngest of six siblings.<\/p>\n She comes from a family with political lineage. Her father, Thomas D\u2019Alesandro Jr, was a congressman who served as mayor of Baltimore for 12 years. Her older brother, Thomas D\u2019Alesandro III, also served as mayor of Baltimore.<\/p>\n After graduating with a bachelor\u2019s degree in political science from Trinity College in Washington, DC in the 1960s, Pelosi started an internship with the Maryland senator at the time, Daniel Brewster.<\/p>\n In 1963, she married Paul Pelosi, an American businessman and San Francisco native, and the couple moved to the city six years later, with their six children.<\/p>\n In the 1980s, Pelosi began working with the Democratic National Committee in the state of California. Starting as a fundraiser, she progressed to become the chair of both the California Democratic Party between 1981 and 1983 and the host committee for the 1984 Democratic National Convention in San Francisco.<\/p>\n In 1987, Pelosi was elected to Congress as a Democratic representative \u2013 a seat she campaigned for, promising action against AIDS, which was badly affecting people, especially from the LGBTQ+ community, in her city of San Francisco.<\/p>\n A national law addressing the epidemic emerged in the 1990s in the form of the Ryan White Care Act, and Pelosi, who was in Congress at the time, celebrated the moment. That law provided the largest funding programme for people with AIDS.<\/p>\n As a congresswoman for nearly 40 years, Pelosi has climbed through the ranks and, in 2001, became the first woman to hold the post of the House minority whip for the Democratic Party. In this post, it was her duty to advance the policies of her party.<\/p>\n In 2002, she became the House minority leader and, in 2007, she was elected speaker of the House when Republican George W Bush was in power.<\/p>\n \u201cIn this House, we may be different parties, but we serve one country,\u201d she told the House while accepting the post in January 2007.<\/p>\n According to the US Congress website, the Speaker of the House is elected either at the start of a Congress, which lasts for two years, or if there is a vacancy due to death or resignation.<\/p>\n The election takes place by \u201croll call vote, during which Members state aloud the name of their preferred candidate. If no candidate receives a majority of votes cast, balloting continues.\u201d A speaker remains in office as long as he or she holds the House\u2019s majority vote.<\/p>\n The speaker of the House symbolises \u201cthe power and authority of the House\u201d and is tasked with maintaining decorum in the House, allowing members to speak, overseeing debates, and undertaking non-legislative tasks like controlling the Hall of the House.<\/p>\n The Speaker is also responsible for \u201cdefending the majority party\u2019s legislative agenda\u201d and also has a role of serving as a member of the House.<\/p>\n But the speaker cannot debate or vote on topics discussed in the House or sit on any standing committee in the House. These committees handle specific issues like overseeing government departments or analysing various financial issues.<\/p>\n As a congresswoman and speaker of the House twice during her tenure, Pelosi has pursued left-of-centre policies and has been instrumental in passing several important laws and policies.<\/p>\n When she first took the gavel in 2007 as speaker of the House, she focused on climate policies and set up the Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming, which held many hearings.<\/p>\n In 2015, she supported former US President Barack Obama in joining the Paris Climate Agreement.<\/p>\n In 2017, President Donald Trump ceased US participation, but when President Joe Biden came to power in 2021, climate was once again on the agenda.<\/p>\n As speaker of the House, Pelosi oversaw the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act in 2022, which also included policies to address climate change.<\/p>\n As the first woman to hold the position of speaker of the House in the US, Pelosi has been seen as instrumental in advancing women\u2019s rights.<\/p>\n When Obama came to power in 2008, with Pelosi as speaker, she ensured that the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which addressed equal wages for men and women, was passed.<\/p>\n She also supported women\u2019s reproductive rights, despite being a Catholic, and fought for Roe v Wade \u2013 a US law which established that women had a constitutional right to an abortion \u2013 when it was overturned during President Donald Trump\u2019s first term.<\/p>\n During President Obama\u2019s tenure, Pelosi was instrumental in ensuring his Affordable Care Act became a law in 2010.<\/p>\n The law lists guidelines to ensure federal subsidies to ensure every person in the US has access to medical care and services.<\/p>\n The law was initially unpopular in the House, but Pelosi held hearings and spoke to Democrats and Republicans to ensure the smooth passage of the bill.<\/p>\n Between 2021 and 2023, Pelosi was also able to help Democrats pass major bills to propel Biden\u2019s agenda, which included a huge COVID-19 relief package.<\/p>\n As a Congress member in 2003, she opposed the US\u2019s war in Iraq. She has also voiced strong opposition to Russia\u2019s war in Ukraine.<\/p>\n However, when it comes to Israel\u2019s war in Gaza, Pelosi is a staunch supporter of Israel and has defended the US stance towards the war.<\/p>\n In 2024, however, she called on Biden to halt the transfer of arms to Israel.<\/p>\n Pelosi has also been hawkish towards China and triggered a controversy when she visited Taiwan in 2022.<\/p>\n She currently serves as the Representative for California\u2019s 11th Congressional District, which includes San Francisco, from where she focuses on employment rights.<\/p>\n After her second tenure as Speaker of the House ended in November 2023, Pelosi announced she would step down from the House\u2019s leadership to make way for young members to take up the role.<\/p>\n The end of her tenure made headlines, and interviews with her focusing on her diet \u2013 which involved having \u201cher daily hot dog\u201d \u2013 also caught the media\u2019s attention. Pelosi has often told reporters that she enjoys a hot dog with mustard for lunch every day, plenty of Ghirardelli chocolates, and a breakfast that generally includes ice cream.<\/p>\n After stepping down as speaker, Pelosi retained the title of Speaker Emerita of the House.<\/p>\n She is also renowned as a brilliant fundraiser for political campaigns. \u201cI had to raise like a million dollars a day \u2013 well, at least five days a week,\u201d she once told reporters.<\/p>\n Pelosi has not given the precise reason for her decision to retire now. But, according to US media reports, it was widely expected after close to 38 years of service.<\/p>\n \u201cI say to my colleagues in the House all of the time, no matter what title they had bestowed upon me \u2013 speaker, leader, whip \u2013 there has been no greater honour for me than to stand on the House floor and say, \u2018I speak for the people of San Francisco,’\u201d she said in her video message announcing her retirement on Thursday.<\/p>\n President Trump, who has clashed with Pelosi on numerous occasions, called her an \u201cevil woman\u201d following the news.<\/p>\n \u201cI think she did the country a great service by retiring. I think she was a tremendous liability for the country,\u201d he told reporters.<\/p>\n Pelosi and Trump are often referred to as adversaries by political commentators and US media outlets, due to their disagreements over policy.<\/p>\n In 2019, during Trump\u2019s first term, Pelosi, Democrat Chuck Schumer \u2013 who is currently minority leader of the Senate \u2013 and Trump got into a heated argument over building a wall along the US border with Mexico. Trump threatened to shut down the government during the squabble, which was broadcast on television channels around the world.<\/p>\n That same year, Trump and Pelosi discussed the war in Syria, but their disagreements were made public by Trump himself, who tweeted a picture of Pelosi pointing a finger at him.<\/p>\n \u201cNervous Nancy\u2019s unhinged meltdown!\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Nervous Nancy’s unhinged meltdown! pic.twitter.com\/RDeUI7sfe7<\/a><\/p>\nRecommended Stories <\/h2>\n
Who is Nancy Pelosi?<\/h2>\n
![\"Pelosi\"](\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/2025-11-06T151537Z_319006911_RC2BJ7AWW8MW_RTRMADP_3_USA-CONGRESS-PELOSI-1762519500.jpg?w=770&resize=770%2C513&quality=80\")
How long has Pelosi been in Congress?<\/h2>\n
What does the House Speaker do?<\/h2>\n
What policies has Pelosi championed?<\/h2>\n
Climate<\/h3>\n
Women\u2019s rights<\/h3>\n
Healthcare<\/h3>\n
Foreign policy<\/h3>\n
What is her role now?<\/h2>\n
Why is she retiring now?<\/h2>\n
How did Trump react to news of her resignation?<\/h2>\n
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