McCarthy out of Congress: Ousted Rep. Speaker will leave end of month

Former Speaker of the House of Representatives Kevin McCarthy will retire at the end of this month, he announced on Wednesday. In an op-ed for the Wall Street Journal, he boasted of the House's achievements under his chairmanship. “It is in this spirit that I have decided to leave the House of Representatives at the end of this year to serve America in new ways. I know my work is just beginning,” he wrote.

“I will continue to recruit our country's best and brightest to run for elected office. The Republican Party is expanding every day and I am committed to using my experience to support the next generation of leaders.” McCarthy first took office in the House of Representatives in 2007. He quickly rose through the ranks, jumping from deputy whip, majority whip, majority leader, minority leader and then chairman.

After receiving 15 ballots to win the presidency in January, the California Republican was summarily impeached by his colleagues nine months later over a clean spending bill he put on the House floor. He was the first speaker ever removed by a motion to evict. The Republican majority in the House of Representatives will now drop to two with McCarthy's departure, after Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., was expelled last week.

The special election for Santos' seat is on February 13. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., commented on the slimmed-down majority on Representatives. Congratulations Freedom Caucus for one and 105 Rep ousting ours for the other. I can assure you that Republican voters did not give us the majority to crash the ship. Hopefully no one dies.'

The retirement announcement follows that of Rep. Patrick McHenry, RN.C., McCarthy's close ally who helped negotiate the debt limit deal with the White House. McHenry will complete his term and will not seek re-election.

“Regardless of the odds or personal cost, we did the right thing,” McCarthy wrote. “That may seem out of fashion in Washington these days, but delivering results for the American people is still celebrated across the country.”

Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., responded to the news on X: “McLeavin'.”

Gaetz launched a motion to vacate after McCarthy introduced a “clean” continuing resolution, or CR, on the floor of the House of Representatives to keep government spending at 2023 levels for six weeks and avoid a government shutdown . Gaetz and other conservatives wanted sharp cuts, not CRs.

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