Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi praised Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell after he announced Wednesday he would step down as the Senate GOP party leader.

“Leader Mitch McConnell is to be recognized for his patriotism and decades of service to Kentucky, to the Congress and to our Country,” the veteran California Democrat said in a statement. “He and I have worked together since we were appropriators, long before either of us were Leaders in the Congress. While we often disagreed, we shared our responsibility to the American people to find common ground whenever possible. I send best wishes to him and Elaine as they prepare for their next chapter.”

Pelosi made a similar exit from party leadership after last Congress, stepping aside as House Democrats’ party leader to make way for a new generation. Like McConnell, Pelosi had opted to stay in Congress even after departing from leadership. She and other former top party leaders have instead become elder sages in the caucus.

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