House Speaker John Boehner announced his resignation from Congress on Friday. After five years as speaker, the 13-term Republican from Ohio said he will resign at the end of October.
In a press conference, Boehner, who at times became emotional, said he decided to leave his post over the unrest brewing among some Conservative members of the House who want to defund Planned Parenthood. The discussion has led to further fears of another possible government shutdown.
Arizona Republican Rep. David Schweikert said the reasons Boehner gave as to why he was stepping down were not good enough.
“That’s an absolutely crazy excuse and the evidence doesn’t point anywhere near there. We are always turbulent, it’s the House of Representatives. If it’s not cantankerous, there’s something wrong. It’s in its nature,” Schweikert said.
Democratic Rep. Raul Grijalva from southern Arizona said he was shocked by the announcement. He said the 50 or so Tea Party lawmakers, “took the Speaker down.”
“As a practitioner of getting things done and a member of this institution in the House, I think he got sick of not being able to do anything. And seeing the fact that we’re looking at a shutdown of the government, I think that was the biggest motivation to not let that happen,” Grijalva said.
While some Republicans welcomed Boehner’s decision, others were concerned about how this small victory could cost them in the long run.
Boehner said his last day will be Oct. 30.
