Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., said today he will step back soon as ranking member of the House Oversight and Reform Committee, citing health setbacks in his treatment for esophageal cancer that the congressman disclosed last November.
Rep. Connolly, who is serving his ninth term representing the 11th district of Virginia including Fairfax County, also said in a social media post today that his current term in Congress will be his last.
“When I announced my diagnosis six months ago, I promised transparency,” Rep. Connolly said today.
“After grueling treatments, we’ve learned that the cancer, while initially beaten back, has now returned,” he said. “I’ll do everything possible to continue to represent you and thank you for your grace.”
“The sun is setting on my time in public service, and this will be my last term in Congress,” he said. “I will be stepping back as ranking member of the Oversight Committee soon.”
“With no rancor and a full heart, I move into this final chapter full of pride in what we’ve accomplished together over 30 years,” the congressman said.
Rep. Connolly, long one of the leading voices in Congress on technology modernization legislation and civil service workforce advancements, has been a vociferous critic of Trump administration moves since Jan. 20 to shrink Federal civilian agencies and of the Department of Government Efficiency’s efforts to gain access to Federal data systems.
Just last week, Rep. Connolly and Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., reintroduced the Modernizing Government Technology (MGT) Reform Act, a bipartisan bill that would reauthorize and reform the Technology Modernization Fund (TMF) and its governing board. TMF was created in 2017 as part of the MGT Act, for which Rep. Connolly was an original cosponsor.