U.S. Rep. Sam Graves (R-Mo.), who has served as House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chair since 2023, has announced he will retire from Congress in January, at the end of this session.
“After considerable reflection, 2026 will be my final year in Congress,” Graves reported March 27 via social media platform X. “This wasn’t an easy decision, but it’s the right one. I believe in making room for the next generation. It’s time to pass the torch and allow a new guard of conservative leaders to step forward and chart a path forward for Missourians.”
From 2019 to 2022, Graves was the T&I Committee’s senior Republican. Before that, he served four years as Chairman of the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit, and as the senior Republican of the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management.
Graves is also Co-Chair of the House General Aviation Caucus. From 2009 to 2015, he served as Chairman and senior Republican of the Committee on Small Business, and he continues to serve as a high-ranking Member of the Committee on Armed Services.
Graves was born in Tarkio, Mo., on Nov. 7, 1963. He graduated from Tarkio High School in 1982 and attended college at the University of Missouri-Columbia, where he received his degree in Agronomy from the College of Agriculture. In 1992, Graves won his first race for State Representative. In 1994, he was elected State Senator for the 12th Senatorial District and was subsequently re-elected in 1998.
“When I first ran for State Representative back in 1992, my aspiration was to represent my hometown of Tarkio, Missouri,” Graves reported March 27. “I was a twenty-seven year old farmer who just wanted to stand up for a way of life and his community. I never could have imagined where that decision would take me.
“For 8 years in the Missouri House and Senate, I fought for Northwest Missourians. From deregulating vehicle inspections, to standing for chain gangs, to securing funding for rural schools in the desegregation fight, I never lost sight of why I was sent to Jefferson City. Then, in 2000, the good, hardworking people of Missouri’s Sixth District entrusted me to be their voice in Congress.
“For 26 years, I have had the privilege of serving, culminating in becoming the Chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and passing some of the most significant legislation in our nation’s history. The responsibility entrusted to me is not something I have ever taken for granted. Not for a single day.
“What I’m most proud of is the work my team did when Washington made life harder for the people of Missouri’s Sixth. Together, we stood with hundreds of thousands of Missourians in their toughest moments. We helped them cut through red tape and navigate a system that often felt stacked against them. We got them answers and fought to deliver real results when they needed them most.
“I’ve said all of that to say this: After considerable reflection, 2026 will be my final year in Congress. …
“That doesn’t mean I’m slowing down, not even close. As I enter the 4th quarter of my life, I have more left in me. As many of you know, I don’t let grass grow under my feet. We’ve still got a lot of work to do. I’m going to fight to protect Missouri interests as we work to shape this year’s Highway Bill. I plan to finish this last term the same way I started, full speed ahead.
“Maintaining our strong democratic republic will always depend on good people stepping up to serve from every corner of our great nation. I’m grateful for my colleagues in both parties, for the people I’ve worked alongside, and even for the opponents who challenged me and made me better. Public service isn’t easy. It takes hard work, humility, a thick skin, and a willingness to fight for what’s right.
“At the end of the day, I’m still the farmer from Northwest Missouri. You’ll find me back home on the farm nearly every weekend, after all, it is planting season. In fact, I’ll probably be on a tractor this weekend. And come Monday, I’ll be heading back through Kansas City on my way to D.C. to keep doing the job you sent me there to do. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.
“It has been the honor of a lifetime.”
Graves noted in a separate T&I Committee press release that “Before the end of this year, the Committee must complete a vital surface transportation reauthorization bill to fund America’s roads, bridges, highway safety, transit, and rail transportation systems—a surface bill that will be the most important of its kind in decades.
“The Committee is working on the next Water Resources Development Act to improve our ports, harbors, inland waterways, flood protection, and other water resources infrastructure. We have bills to reauthorize pipeline safety programs, to modernize Clean Water Act permitting processes to cut red tape in the building of infrastructure projects, and to provide the most significant reforms to FEMA since Hurricane Katrina.
“And just this week [week of March 22], our committee unanimously approved the ALERT Act to address all 50 safety recommendations from the NTSB following their investigation of the tragic aviation accident in our nation’s capital.
“I will remain fully focused on getting these bills and other important legislation over the finish line. Serving as Chairman of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, where Members of Congress can and have so often worked together to get things done for all of America, has been a tremendous honor that will drive me until my last day in Congress.”
Graves’ “exit was unlikely to affect the balance of power in the House given the strongly Republican bent of his district in northwest Missouri,” The New York Times reported March 27. “But it was the latest in a wave of G.O.P. retirements over the past several months as Republicans anticipate defeats in November that could cost them control of Congress. And it marked another significant loss of institutional knowledge underway in both parties as a push for generational turnover has prompted senior lawmakers to retire after lengthy careers in Washington.”
American Public Transportation Association (APTA) President and CEO Paul P. Skoutelas released the following statement on March 27:
“On behalf of APTA and our over 1,700 members organizations, I extend our deep appreciation to Chairman Sam Graves for his years of dedicated service and his commitment to building a stronger, safer public transportation network for all Americans.
“Chairman Graves has been a trusted partner to the public transportation community. Just last year, he spoke at APTA’s Legislative Conference and challenged our industry to make the case to Congress on the importance of reauthorization. We heard him, and we took that charge to heart. As he prepares to close this chapter, we are mindful of how much his leadership has shaped the path forward—and how much work remains, with the September 2026 reauthorization deadline fast approaching and so much riding on the outcome for public transit riders, workers, and communities across the country.
“We look forward to continuing to work with Chairman Graves through the remainder of the 119th Congress and wholeheartedly thank him for his years of public service and leadership to deliver a strong surface transportation bill for the American people. We wish him well in all that comes next.”
