OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
A leading House Republican is reversing an earlier decision to retire from Congress after he received a phone call from former President Donald Trump urging him to change his mind.
Rep. Mark Green, who is chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, said last month 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.”
However, Green now appears to have changed his mind.
“While my strong desire was to leave Congress at the end of this year, since my announcement, I have received countless calls from constituents, colleagues, and President Trump urging me to reconsider,” Green said in a statement released by his office to The Tennessee Star.
“I was reminded of the words of General MacArthur on a statue at West Point: ‘Duty, honor, country.’ I realized, once again: I had a duty to my country to fulfill,” the statement continued.
“I will be running for re-election so I can be here on Day 1 next year to help President Trump end this border crisis once and for all,” Green concluded.
Trump wrote a shout-out to Green on his Truth Social platform: “Mark Green has had lots of options because of his political talents, and the great job he has done as a Congressman, but given the fantastic work he’s doing as Chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, I hope he runs for Re-Election to the U.S. House of Representatives. If he does, he has my Complete and Total Endorsement!”
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.
