US House speaker John Boehner to resign next month after years of Republican infighting
The resignation will spark an intense battle for control of the House
US House Speaker John Boehner, who has spent years pushing back against a rebellious flank long seeking his ousting, told a closed-door meeting on Friday that he would resign next month.
The 65-year-old’s departure after 24 years in Congress and four years in the speaker’s chair will spark an intense battle for control of the House as the United States gears up for a presidential election in November 2016.
“Speaker Boehner just announced in Conference that he will resign as Speaker and from Congress at the end of October,” House Republican Bill Huizenga said in a tweet.
Boehner’s office confirmed the timing, adding that while his original plan was to serve only through last year, House majority leader Eric “Cantor’s loss in his primary changed that calculation.”
The intense tug of war between the establishment leadership and hard-core conservatives, who have challenged Boehner on everything from federal spending and government shutdowns to anti-abortion fights, has often spilled into the open, with the rank-and-file often calling for Boehner’s head and causing deep friction in the House during his tenure.
“The Speaker believes putting members through prolonged leadership turmoil would do irreparable damage to the institution,” a Boehner aide said.