Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio), the speaker of the House and one of the most powerful men in American government, will retire at the end of October.
Speaker Boehner just announced in Conference that he will resign as Speaker and from Congress at the end of October.
— Rep. Bill Huizenga (@RepHuizenga) September 25, 2015
His aides informed media on Friday morning.
“The Speaker believes putting members through prolonged leadership turmoil would do irreparable damage to the institution,” a Boehner aide told Politico. The aide added that Boehner’s resignation from Congress will go into effect on Oct. 30.
Boehner has faced significant turbulence during his eight years leading House Republicans, and this fall looked to intensify that tension due to an impending fight over whether to keep the federal government running or to shut it down in a fight over defunding Planned Parenthood.
This story is developing. We will update with new information as it becomes available.
Update 9am CT, Sept. 25: Added quote from Boehner aide.
Photo via Gage Skidmore/Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0)