Most of us look forward to the day we can trade in long hours of toil for retirement’s life of leisure, but that’s a rare outlook on Capitol Hill, where septuagenarians often keep working the kind of hours that’d make medical residents blanch.
Despite announcing his own retirement recently, Rep. C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger is no different. He made his reluctant decision in part because “there comes a time when you’ve got to let other people take over.” And when asked what “perk” he’ll miss most about Congress, a transparent attempt to get the Maryland Democrat to share some anecdotes about state dinners or inaugural soirees, Ruppersberger responded instead with “action.”
The answer is telling, especially in the current House, which has seen a historic level of inaction. “This is probably the most difficult time I’ve seen, and I’ve been here almost 22 years,” Ruppersberger said.
