Sen. Leahy to retire following current term

Sen. Patrick Leahy, the Senate president pro tempore and the chamber's existent longest-serving member, announced Monday that helium plans to discontinue erstwhile his word ends successful 2023.

"I person reached the decision that it is clip to enactment down the gavel," Leahy said during a press conference Monday. "It is clip to walk the torch to the adjacent Vermonter, who volition transportation connected this enactment for our large state. It's clip to travel home."

Leahy, a Democrat, was archetypal elected to the Senate successful 1974. He's presently successful the midst of his seventh six-year word successful the Senate.

According to Senate records, lone 4 different radical successful U.S. past person served successful the Senate longer than Leahy.

In summation to serving arsenic the Senate's president pro tempore, Leahy has besides served arsenic the seat of the Senate Judiciary Committee and the seat of the Senate Agriculture Committee.

"So I volition transportation everlastingly with maine the enduring enslaved with my chap Vermonters whose communal consciousness and goodness are what I effort to lucifer arsenic their representative," helium said Monday.

At property 81, Leahy is the fifth-oldest Senator presently serving. Chuck Grassley, the 88-year-old legislator from Iowa and the oldest Republican successful the Senate, announced earlier this twelvemonth that he would question re-election successful 2022.

At 88, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-California, is the oldest existent senator.

According to The Washington Post, the existent Senate people has the oldest mean age successful the chamber's history.