National Review’s Joel Gerkhe was the first to break this on Twitter, followed up by a short blurb on the grey old old grey lady, the New York Times:
Speaker John A. Boehner will resign from Congress and give up his House seat at the end of October, according to aides in his office.
Mr. Boehner was under extreme pressure from the right wing of his conference over whether or not to defund Planned Parenthood in a bill to keep the government open.
That is literally the entire blurb.
House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy is set to become the heir to the throne, so to speak, and though not directly angling for the job… it would appear as if the looming government shutdown over Planned Parenthood funding has a great deal to do with today’s movement, via The Hill:
Tea Party rebels in the GOP conference have had a target on Boehner’s back ever since he won the Speaker’s gavel after the 2010 election, and a number of conservatives have threatened to depose the Ohio Republican if he doesn’t stand firm and defund Planned Parenthood in this month’s spending showdown.
GOP leaders face an Oct. 1 deadline to approve a bill to keep the government open. Because a funding bill that blocked money for Planned Parenthood could not pass the Senate, they have no clear path forward for doing so without working with Democrats — something that could spur a conservative move against Boehner.
“They call it the people’s house, and there is some chaos every once in awhile,” said the conservative lawmaker. “In this setting, it is inevitable that chaos is going to ensue.”
If true, we are at an impasse over Planned Parenthood funding, folks. If Boehner could not keep the coalition together with a vote to defund Planned Parenthood while passing a continuing resolution?
Get ready.
UPDATE: Given the juxtaposition of defunding Planned Parenthood and the continuing resolution, this — if true — is messed up:
Faced with watching the same awful movie again, Boehner decided to offer himself as a sacrifice to conservatives who wanted him out: I will leave if you vote to keep the government open.
Short version: this isn’t about defunding Planned Parenthood at all… this was about whacking the Speaker.
So much for principles when power is at stake.
UPDATE x2: Speaker Boehner’s full press statement regarding his departure:
My mission every day is to fight for a smaller, less costly, and more accountable government. Over the last five years, our majority has advanced conservative reforms that will help our children and their children. I am proud of what we have accomplished.
The first job of any Speaker is to protect this institution that we all love. It was my plan to only serve as Speaker until the end of last year, but I stayed on to provide continuity to the Republican Conference and the House. It is my view, however, that prolonged leadership turmoil would do irreparable damage to the institution. To that end, I will resign the Speakership and my seat in Congress on October 30.
Today, my heart is full with gratitude for my family, my colleagues, and the people of Ohio’s Eighth District. God bless this great country that has given me – the son of a bar owner from Cincinnati – the chance to serve.
What is telling in all of this is the tremendous impact Pope Francis’ visit had on Boehner himself. Just days ago he was in the fight for the long haul. Now?
I suspect that Boehner simply could not keep the coalition together, looked over his should at the mob he was in front of, and decided that’s not the man he wanted to be.
One can empathize.
UPDATE x3: Just in case you were wondering what was really going on in Boehner’s head over these last few days:
“So. So, the pope puts his arm around my left arm,” Boehner said as he pulls my arm up to his shoulder. Boehner was now fully committed to acting it out. “Hold on, hold on,” he said as I pulled my arm away. “Let me finish. The pope says to me, ‘Please pray for me.’?”
“Please pray for me,” Boehner said as he dipped his head. “He said, ‘Please pray for me.’?”
Boehner stood there for another 10 seconds, not saying a word, his hands at his sides, and then turned sharply toward his security detail, the now open doors and a shimmering sunset on Capitol Hill.
