Feb. 21 (UPI) — Rep. David Cicilline, D-R.I., confirmed Tuesday he will step down in June to lead a foundation that provides funding to non-profit groups.
The seven-term congressman will leave elected office as of June 1, 2023, with his seat being filled by a special election. Cicilline’s term is slated to expire in 2025.
Cicilline, a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the House Committee on the Judiciary, is leaving politics to serve as the president and CEO of the Rhode Island Foundation.
“For more than 100 years, the Rhode Island Foundation has been dedicated to improving the lives of Rhode Islanders,” the foundation, which was founded in 1916, says on its website.
“We partner with generous individuals, families, organizations, and corporations that share our commitment to the state, as well as with nonprofit organizations that provide the ‘boots-on-the-ground’ services that make Rhode Island a better place to live, work, and play.”
Cicilline, 61, was first elected to the U.S. House in 2011. He chaired the House Democrats LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus and served as House impeachment manager during former President Donald Trump‘s second impeachment trial.
“Serving the people of Rhode Island’s First Congressional District has been the honor of my lifetime. As President and CEO of one of the largest and oldest community foundations in the nation, I look forward to expanding on the work I have led for nearly thirty years in helping to improve the lives of all Rhode Islanders,” Cicilline said in a statement.
“For more than a decade, the people of Rhode Island entrusted me with a sacred duty to represent them in Congress, and it is a responsibility I put my heart and soul into every day to make life better for the residents and families of our state,” he said. “The chance to lead the Rhode Island Foundation was unexpected, but it is an extraordinary opportunity to have an even more direct and meaningful impact on the lives of residents of our state.”