House Appropriations chairwoman Nita Lowey to retire

House Appropriations chairwoman Nita Lowey to retire-thehill: House Appropriations Chairwoman Nita Lowey (D-NY) on Thursday announced she will retire at the end of this Congress and not seek reelection in 2020. The 82-year-old New York Democrat was first elected to Congress in 1988 and rose to become the most senior member of the powerful House Appropriations Committee, and the first woman to hold the post. Before becoming a lawmaker, Lowey served as Assistant Secretary of State for the State of New York.