In May, then-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy boasted, “I never give up. And I will never give up fighting for you, the American people.” In hindsight, perhaps “never” was the wrong word choice. NBC News reported this morning:
Rep. Kevin McCarthy, who this fall became the first speaker to be ousted from power in the middle of a congressional term, said Wednesday he will resign from office at the end of this month.
The California Republican made the announcement in a Wall Street Journal op-ed in which he bragged about a variety of bills that passed the House before being rejected in the Senate.
“It is in this spirit that I have decided to depart the House at the end of this year to serve America in new ways,” McCarthy wrote. “I know my work is only getting started.”
A half-hour after the op-ed was published online, the former speaker released a video message on his decision.
As a matter of legislative arithmetic, this is hardly good news for GOP leaders. A week ago, the House Republican conference had 222 members, which meant on any given vote, the majority could only afford to lose only four of its own members. Late last week, former Rep. George Santos was expelled, which left the conference with 221. After McCarthy exits later this month, the number will fall to 220.
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