OAN’s Abril Elfi
3:47 PM – Sunday, November 12, 2023
United States Representative Brian Higgins announced he will be leaving Congress before his current term is over.
On Sunday, Higgins (D-N.Y.) announced he will be stepping down from congress in February of 2024 after serving for 19 years.
“After 19 years serving the WNY community in the U.S. House of Representatives, I have made the decision to step down from Congress in February of 2024. It has been the honor of a lifetime to represent my hometown & I look forward to spending more time in the community I love,” Higgins stated.
The 64 year-old, who began his 10th term in January, said that Congress is a much different place than what it used to be.
“Congress is not the institution that I went to 19 years ago. It’s a very different place today,” he said. “We’re spending more time doing less. And the American people aren’t being served.”
Higgins also stated that he wants to come back to the city and serve and said he had been viewing a few offers but has not announced what his next steps will be.
“I want to come back to the city and serve this city that I have represented in Washington for the past 19 years,” he said.
The congressman has been recognized with leading efforts to revitalize Buffalo’s waterfront while in Congress, beginning in 2005 when he won funds from the New York Power Authority, which sells hydropower generated by water diverted from Niagara Falls.
Higgins’ resignation will almost certainly result in a special election in New York’s predominantly Democratic 26th Congressional District, which encompasses sections of Erie and Niagara counties, as well as the cities of Buffalo and Niagara Falls.
Stay informed! Receive breaking news blasts directly to your inbox for free. Subscribe here. https://www.oann.com/alerts