Pelosi Statement on Chairman Tom Lantos’ Decision Not to Seek Re-Election

Pelosi Statement on Chairman Tom Lantos’ Decision Not to Seek Re-Election

Wednesday, January 2, 2008

Contact:Brendan Daly/Nadeam Elshami, 202-226-7616

Washington, D.C. â€" Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued the following statement today on the announcement by Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Tom Lantos of California that he would complete his congressional service at the end of his current term:

â€Å"It is with great personal sadness and deep appreciation for his outstanding leadership that I learned of Chairman Lantos’ illness. His experience, intelligence, and compassion will be deeply missed.

"Tom Lantos is one of America’s leading experts on foreign affairs and most effective advocates for human rights both at home and abroad. As the only Holocaust survivor ever elected to Congress, he has used his position to fight for those whose voices have been silenced by hatred and oppression.

â€Å"On the homefront, Tom Lantos is a champion for working families and a great advocate for protecting the environment.

"On behalf of all my colleagues, I thank Chairman Lantos for his 27 years of service in the House and to America. My thoughts and prayers are with Tom, his wife, Annette, their daughters Annette and Katrina, and the entire Lantos family at this difficult time."