Capitol Hill lawmakers share what they’re grateful for this Thanksgiving
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Thanksgiving is a time for people across the country to express their gratitude, and it’s no different for those who work on Capitol Hill.
Reps. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., lawmakers on both sides of the aisle told Fox News Digital. and said they are grateful to their families, including Erin Houchin, R-Ind.
“And to be able to be here and serve is a real blessing,” Houchin added of his work.
Other lawmakers were excited to be out of Washington.
“I’m happy to be in Massachusetts. I’m grateful for that… I’ll be away from this spectacle that’s been going on here for the last few weeks,” said Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass.
WE ARE HEADING FOR THE EXITS: WHY ARE 3 DOZEN COUNCIL MEMBERS NOT VOTING FOR RE-ELECTION
Both Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (pictured with her son) and Steny Hoyer (pictured with wife Elaine Kamarck) said they were grateful to spend time with their families this Thanksgiving. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images; Paul Morigi/Getty Images for Ovation TV/Up Entertainment)
When asked what he’ll do when he’s home, McGovern said, “I do a 43-mile walk every year for the food bank in Western Massachusetts. So Monday and Tuesday, I’ll walk 43 miles.”
“So this might be the last time you see me,” he joked.
And some like House Budget Committee Chairman Jodey Arrington, R-Texas, and former House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., who remarried in June 2023. Grateful for newfound family time as.
“I’m grateful for so many things. I now have a wonderful new wife to be married to for two and a half years,” Hoyer said. “My first wife died in ’97, so I was alone for a long time.”
But now he added: “I am very happy. We have 17 grandchildren, they are all healthy, they are all doing well.”
THE CHAIRMAN OF THE BALL ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ANNOUNCED THAT HE WILL NOT BE RE-ELECTED IN 2026
Speaker Rep. Jodey Arrington speaks at a news conference after the House narrowly passed a bill advancing President Donald Trump’s agenda at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on May 22, 2025. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
And Arrington, who will retire from Congress 10 years later at the end of 2026, told Fox News Digital: “I’m grateful for the 10 years that I had the opportunity to serve my country, to leave a legacy of a better future for my children, and now to come back to those children to be the man of my own house instead of the man in the people’s house.”
Meanwhile, Rep. Tom Suozzi, D-Y., said Thanksgiving is a good reminder to practice gratitude in one’s daily life.
“I’m always so grateful for the blessings I’ve received, both personally and for my family. I’m just so grateful. I think it’s an important practice for everyone to always be grateful. Even when things are going bad, you should always try to be thankful and always be thankful. Gratitude is an attitude,” he said.
Ranking member Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., speaks during a House Rules Committee meeting at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 31, 2023. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images)
CLICK TO DOWNLOAD FOX NEWS APPLICATION
When asked about her favorite Thanksgiving tradition, Houchin told Fox News Digital: “My family and I — we don’t do that anymore — but we have a popsicle stick decoration-making contest. It was a good time.”
Luna said he “binge-watches Harry Potter,” and Hoyer smiled, “I’m a big turkey and gravy guy.”
When asked what tradition he was most looking forward to this holiday, Arrington said, “Eat a lot of food and watch a lot of football.”
