House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairwoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) announced Thursday she would not be running for reelection, adding to a growing list of retirements of committee members.
The Washington Republican, who has been in office since 2005, stated in a press announcement that it was time to serve the state in “new ways” and touted her time as chairwoman of the influential committee.
“Especially as Chair of the Energy and Commerce Committee, I’ve seen the best of Eastern Washington and the United States of America,” Rodgers wrote. “We will spend this year honoring the Committee’s rich history — plowing the hard ground necessary to legislate on solutions to make people’s lives better and ensure America wins the future.”
The congresswoman has served more than a decade in party leadership, including a stint as chairwoman of the House Republican conference. In 2021, she became the ranking Republican on the Energy and Commerce Committee — the first woman to assume the top spot for either party on the panel.
Rodgers has used her gavel to go after the Biden administration’s energy policies, leading efforts to challenge provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act and the White House’s policies related to natural gas. Just this week, the committee led a hearing on the administration’s pause on liquefied natural gas export terminals.
Rodgers is a supporter of nuclear energy, and advanced a series of bipartisan bills out of committee last year. She has also sought to advance hydropower, with her district including the Lower Granite Lake Dam.
Rodgers passed a bill unanimously through the House that would ban enriched uranium imports from Russia. However, that bill was held up in the Senate by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), who objected to the bill over a nixed bipartisan provision in the annual defense bill passed last December.
Her retirement adds to a growing list of retirements on Energy and Commerce, along with a broader group among the House. Including Rodgers’ announcement, 12 members of the committee will either be retiring at the end of the term or will be pursuing higher office. Former Rep. Bill Johnson (R-OH) retired on Jan. 21 to become the new head of Youngstown State University, bringing the total of retirees to 13. Reps. John Curtis (R-UT) and Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE) have announced bids for Senate, while GOP Rep. Kelly Armstrong is running for governor in North Dakota.
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The double-digit loss also underlines the loss in institutional knowledge the committee will suffer by the end of the term.
