Rep. Waxman to retire after 20 terms
| WASHINGTON
Democratic U.S. 搁别辫谤别蝉别苍迟补迟颈惫别听贬别苍谤测听奥补虫尘补苍听辞蹿听California, a leading liberal who helped craft President聽Barack Obama's landmark healthcare overhaul, said on Thursday he will retire from聽Congress聽at the end of this year.
"In 1974, I announced my first campaign for聽Congress,"聽Waxman, 74, said in a statement. "Today, I am announcing that I have run my last campaign. I will not seek re-election to the聽Congress聽and will leave after 40 years in office at the end of this year."
As chairman of the聽House of Representatives Energy聽and Commerce Committee in Obama's first term,Waxman聽helped the president develop and enact a sweeping overhaul of the U.S. healthcare system in a bid to provide insurance to millions of Americans without coverage.
Waxman聽also took a leading role in advancing White House-backed legislation to stem climate change. The bill passed the House, but died in the聽Senate.
Waxman's term as committee chairman ended in 2011 after Republicans won control of the House from Democrats, in part because of voter dissatisfaction with the president's healthcare program, known as Obamacare.
Waxman聽is the second key ally of House Democratic Leader聽Nancy Pelosi聽to announce plans this month to retire, following Representative聽George Miller, who is also from聽California.
(Reporting by Tom Ferraro; Editing by Doina Chiacu; Editing by Sandra Maler)
