Boehner was first elected to the House in 1990 and soon established a strongly conservative record, becoming part of Speaker Newt Gingrich’s leadership team when Republicans took control in 1995 for the first time in four decades.
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Conservatives have demanded that any legislation to keep the government operating past Wednesday’s midnight deadline strip Planned Parenthood of his funds, a move rejected by the more pragmatic lawmakers. It’s likely to pass with Democratic support, setting up another funding fight in just a few months.
Though his colleagues were surprised by the announcement, Boehner appears to have hinted at it to reporters.
House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington.
Boehner will step down at the end of October and return to Ohio.
A Boehner aide added to the media outlet that “the speaker believes putting members through prolonged leadership turmoil would do irreparable damage to the institution”. Yesterday, John Boehner was Speaker of the House. McCarthy’s the No. 2 ranking Republican in the house, but he’ll need to be voted in, which could change.
Pundits had speculated that Boehner could have held on to his speakership for longer, with Democrats and moderate Republicans supporting him against an agitating Tea Party caucus.
National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Greg Walden (R-Ore.) said he was not aware of Boehners plans and said its time for the party to rally around McCarthy.
More than 800,000 federal workers were sent home, and polls show Republicans bore the brunt of the blame. “As we begin the process of deciding a new Speaker of the House, I look forward to electing someone who cannot only articulate conservative principles, but has the wherewithal to effectively advance them”.
“If we are splintered, a moderate establishment candidate runs up the middle with 23 percent of the vote, steals the nomination and then loses to Hillary Clinton in the general election”, said Texas Sen.
One of the sources said there’s going to be an effort to make sure House Republicans have a good understanding of who McCarthy is and where he came from, defining him before others can do it for him.
Instead, Boehner’s surprising announcement has lowered the odds of a second shutdown in three years.
Boehner, visibly moved as he met with the pope, later called it a “wonderful day”. “I think I was”, Boehner said of the many moments that he publically wiped tears from his eyes on Thursday. “But you have to work with people who you disagree with, and sometimes strongly, in order to do the people’s business”.
He appears to have decided to leave on his own terms, rather than be ousted in a rebellion. I think its a victory for the American people.
Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham, an Albuquerque Democrat, sounded sad to see Boehner go. And their public and private conversations described the tensions between the right and the far right that have boiled in the Republican caucus for several years, tensions that could come to a head.
David Bozell, ForAmerica president, had some advice for members of the House of Representatives on next steps. But though he is also known as a strong conservative, his tactics were never confrontational enough to satisfy the most conservative faction.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
In 2012, Boehner traveled to Vancouver to attend a campaign kickoff for the Southwest Washington congresswoman, bringing in about $50,000 in a single event. Boehner was chosen to lead the House.
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“If I wasn’t planning on leaving here soon, I can tell you I would not have done this”, he said.
