Rhode Island congressman retiring

U.S. Rep. David Cicilline, D-R.I., said Tuesday he will step down this summer to lead his state’s largest funder of nonprofits.

In his seventh term and currently a member of the House’s Foreign Affairs and Judiciary committees, Cicilline was named president and CEO of the Rhode Island Foundation effective June 1.

“Serving the people of Rhode Island’s First Congressional District has been the honor of my lifetime,” Cicilline said in a statement. “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, 61, said the move was unexpected but gives him the opportunity to “have an even more direct and meaningful impact on the lives of residents of our state.”

The Rhode Island Foundation, founded in 1916, focuses on supporting economic security, affordable health care, education and job training. It raised $98 million in 2021 and awarded $76 million in grants, according to its website.

Cicilline was selected after a national search. “Congressman Cicilline’s career-long fight for equity and equality at the local, national and international level, and his deep relationships within Rhode Island’s communities of color are two of the many factors that led us to this decision,” said Dr. G. Alan Kurose, chair of the foundation’s board of directors.

The news of Cicilline’s retirement comes months after he withdrew his bid for a leadership post in the House. Cicilline, who is openly gay, had challenged Rep. James Clyburn of South Carolina for the Democrats’ assistant role, arguing that it was time the party’s leadership table included LGBTQ voices.

But Clyburn, the highest-ranking Black American in Congress, received unanimous support from the caucus in closeddoor elections in December.

The challenge to Clyburn was a surprise, but Cicilline said at the time that he felt the need to act to ensure Democratic leadership “fully reflect the diversity” of the caucus and the country.

During his tenure he has been a frequent critic of big tech and the amount of power the nation’s tech companies hold. He was a House impeachment manager during former President Donald Trump’s second impeachment trial, and a lead sponsor of the legislation that gave federal recognition to same-sex marriages.