Mark Green, theRepublicanchair of the US House’s homeland security committee, announced Monday that he will retire from Congress once the House votes again on the sprawling tax and budget policy bill backed byDonald Trump.
In a statement, Green said he was offered a private sector opportunity “that was too exciting to pass up”, so the Tennessee representative informed Mike Johnson, the House speaker, on Monday of his retirement plans. The move comes more than a year after Green announced he wouldn’t run again in 2024, but changed his mind when fellowRepublicansimplored him to stick around.
Green’s next election would have been in 2026.
He voted for Trump’s sweeping legislation when it passed the House in May. The bill is now in the Senate’s hands, and would need to return to the House for agreement on any changes. The president wantsthe billon his desk for his signature by 4 July.
Green’s delayed departure could help with the Republicans’ narrow margins in the House. Republican leaders need every vote they can get on their big tax bill, which they managed to pass in May by a single vote and will have to pass again once changes are made in the Senate. They now have a 220-212 majority.
“It was the honor of a lifetime to represent the people of Tennessee in Congress,” Green said. “They asked me to deliver on the conservative values and principles we all hold dear, and I did my level best to do so.”
Green’s seat will be decided in a special election. The timing will depend on when he leaves office.