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A leading Republican and House committee chairman announced Wednesday, a day after leading a historic vote to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, that the country and Congress “are broken,” and he plans to retire.
Rep. Mark Green (R-Tenn.), who served as chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, said he is “ready to return home” after delivering on his promise to “pass legislation to secure our borders and to hold Secretary Mayorkas accountable” by leading the passage of H.R. 2 and two articles of impeachment against Mayorkas.
“In the last few months, in reading the writings of our Framers, I was reminded of their intent for representatives to be citizen-legislators, to serve for a season and then return home,” Green said in a statement. “Our country–and our Congress–is broken beyond most means of repair. I have come to realize our fight is not here within Washington, our fight is with Washington. As I have done my entire life, I will continue serving this country–but in a new capacity.”
Green, a veteran and retired Army officer, also thanked his wife, Camie, and his children for supporting him while serving in Congress since 2018.
“During my time in the Army, they sacrificed dad and husband to multiple deployments–and as I have served here in Congress, they have supported me as I’ve been away most weeks,” he said.
“I also want to thank the constituents of Tennessee’s 7th District for the unbelievable honor to serve them in Congress–whose vote of confidence was not only evident in the wide margins in each election, but also without ever having a single primary opponent in my three elections,” Green added. “And finally, I want to thank my staff, whose unmatched hard work, dedication, and talent have resulted in our many victories and one of the lowest turnover rates in Congress.”
I’m announcing my retirement from Congress. https://t.co/6WKTWCpimU pic.twitter.com/eg7KfuLtxs
— Rep. Mark Green (@RepMarkGreen) February 15, 2024
In December, three Republican lawmakers, including Georgia Rep. Drew Ferguson, declared their intention to step down from their positions in the House.
Ferguson is well-known for his connections to former Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and also served as Chief Deputy Whip to Majority Whip Steve Scalise. With McCarthy set to resign at the end of the year, the Republican leadership is changing.
“Julie and I look forward to spending more time with our children and grandchildren while continuing to work to keep Georgia the best state in America to live and do business,” Ferguson said in a statement.
His fourth term representing the 3rd District in western Georgia ends at the end of the year, but he intends to finish it, he said.
Two months before the announcement, Ferguson claimed that members of his family had been threatened with death. This incident occurred during the Republican Party’s internal strife over choosing a new House speaker after the removal of McCarthy.
In response to a federal judge’s order, Georgia lawmakers redrew the state’s congressional map to include a district with a black majority. The Republican-controlled legislature’s plan—which is now waiting for approval from the courts—would ensure Republican incumbents in the state’s U.S. House delegation keep their 9-5 majority.
In November, a pair of Republicans in Congress announced they wouldn’t seek re-election next year, with one of them blaming former President Donald Trump for his decision.
Reps. Ken Buck, R-Colo., and Kay Granger, R-Texas, both made their announcements, with Buck telling MSNBC his decision is related “in part to his party’s reliance on former President Donald Trump’s false claims that the 2020 presidential election was stolen.”
“I’ve decided, Andrea, I’m not going to seek re-election,” Buck said in an interview on MSNBC’s “Andrea Mitchell Reports.”
The Colorado Republican revealed his decision after Granger, 80, announced she would be stepping away next year as well.
