Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi (Image: AP/Mariam Zuhaib)

Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi has announced that she will step aside after leading the Democrats for nearly 20 years.

On January 6 2021, Donald Trump wanted to join the angry mob he sent to attack the US Capitol. When Pelosi was told of his plans, her retort was blunt: “I’m gonna punch him out. I’m gonna go to jail. And I’m gonna be happy.” Unlike most of her Republican colleagues, Pelosi has never been afraid to stand up to Trump.

The January 6 Committee aired fresh video footage that revealed the actions undertaken by congressional leaders during the insurrection. Pelosi was centre stage through it all, as she sought police and National Guard assistance to repel the assault and coordinated logistics to complete the electoral college count that would confirm the elections of President Biden and Vice President Harris.

This was a rarely seen close-up of Pelosi in command. Despite being the most powerful woman in US history, most Americans know little about her. Foreigners know even less. Hillary Clinton would top most lists of influential female leaders. Michelle Obama is more widely recognised; Kamala Harris too. Ruth Bader Ginsburg became an icon during her lifetime.

Compared to them, Pelosi can be considered a quiet achiever. Part of this has to do with a lack of understanding of how the US government functions. Presidents hog the limelight and represent America to the world. They take the credit and cop the blame for everything that happens on their watch, whether it’s their doing or not. Supreme Court justices, with their lifetime tenure and opaque deliberations, deliver final judgment on the laws of the land.

Congress, the first branch of government as specified in Article One of the US Constitution, is the engine room. It’s Congress that keeps the wheels of state turning. Congress is where the deals are done and the sausage is made. Presidents might run operations day-to-day, but Congress sets the budgets and writes the rules.

Pelosi’s title as House speaker contributes to this misunderstanding. Speakers in a Westminster system serve as neutral arbiters to uphold parliamentary order. Their role is procedural rather than legislative, other than in exceptional circumstances.

However, as leader of the majority party in the lower chamber of a bicameral legislature, Pelosi would be akin to a prime minister in Australia. This better captures the essence of her role, albeit without executive authority due to the United States’ distinctive separation of powers.

Viewed through this lens, Pelosi’s stature becomes clearer. Elected to Congress 35 years ago, in 2003 she became the first and to date only woman to lead a major party. Four years later she was elevated to the speakership, again the first woman in that post. For 20 years she has led the Democratic House caucus, now approaching eight years as speaker across two separate terms.

When this 117th Congress concludes on January 3 2023, she will be the fifth-longest holder of that office out of its 54 occupants. In reaching this milestone Pelosi will overtake her initial predecessor Dennis Hastert, who remains the longest-serving Republican speaker in US history.

(As a side note, Hastert was later imprisoned in 2016 on charges related to child sex offences, becoming the highest-ranking US official ever incarcerated and demonstrating that prominent politicians can be brought to justice without civil war breaking out.)

Pelosi’s two decades as party leader matches the stint of Republican Joe Martin, and is surpassed only by legendary Democrat Sam Rayburn, who died in office after 21 years at the helm. For context, the federal Australian Labor Party has had seven leaders during Pelosi’s time in charge of House Democrats, while the Liberal Party has had six. Sir Robert Menzies is the only Australian to have led a national political party for a longer period than Pelosi.

Her longevity is no accident. She is an astute legislator with a knack for negotiating, and a prodigious fundraiser. She counts numbers with the best of them, an essential skill when wrangling a razor-thin majority and staving off challengers.

Pelosi’s impact on American life has been profound. Her major accomplishments include:

Economic Stimulus Act of 2008, Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 and American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009: economic rescue packages that saved the US banking, housing, and automobile industries, and helped prevent a global depression. Three US economists including then-Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke were awarded the 2022 Nobel Prize in Economics for their research that contributed to this landmark intervention. A majority of House Republicans supported the initial stimulus; fewer than half the second leg. All opposed the subsequent investments.

Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009: this law superseded a Supreme Court ruling that restricted wage discrimination claims based on age, religion, national origin, race, sex, or disability. All but three House Republicans rejected it.

Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act: known colloquially as Obamacare, this bill ushered the most significant expansion of medical insurance since the introduction of Medicare and Medicaid in 1965. Pelosi was the chief architect of the legislation, with Barack Obama hailing her as “one of the best speakers the House of Representatives has ever had” when he signed it. Every House Republican voted against it.

Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act: Dodd-Frank passed in the wake of the 2008 financial meltdown that brought global markets to the brink of collapse. It created new oversight agencies to regulate the financial system and strengthen consumer protections. Only three House Republicans supported the motion.

Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Repeal Act of 2010: overturned the political compromise implemented by Bill Clinton to permit LGBTQIA+ military personnel to serve openly in the armed forces. One hundred and sixty House Republicans voted to stop it.

American Rescue Plan Act of 2021: an emergency response to spur economic recovery and deliver extensive public financial and health assistance in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Every House Republican rebuffed the measures.

Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act: a US$550 billion program to fund transportation and utility upgrades nationwide. Just eight House Republicans signed on.

Bipartisan Safer Communities Act: the first gun safety proposals enacted by Congress since 1994. The law, while modest, signalled a turning point in the public debate about firearms regulation and the Second Amendment. 193 House Republicans spurned the bill.

CHIPS and Science Act: a US$280 billion package to boost science and technology research and domestic semiconductor chip manufacturing. One hundred and eighty seven House Republicans voted against it.

Inflation Reduction Act of 2022: an omnibus bill that included the largest commitments towards clean energy and climate change mitigation in US history, as well as initiatives to reduce prescription drug prices, extend health care subsidies, and impose a 15% minimum corporate tax rate on companies with annual revenues exceeding US$1 billion. The act was unanimously opposed by House Republicans.

Pelosi’s efforts don’t stop there. She has steered numerous bills through the House that would have addressed women’s rights and civil liberties, voting rights, wages and workers’ rights, gun safety, climate change, education, and immigration, only to see them blocked by Senate Republicans.

She rallied opposition to resist George W Bush’s plan to privatise social security and supervised both Trump impeachments. She outmanoeuvred Republicans’ efforts to stymie the January 6 Committee’s investigation, which enabled the comprehensive public exposure of Trump’s attempted coup. She has been a staunch advocate for human rights and democracy around the world, and she has campaigned for equality and opportunity at home.