House Speaker John Boehner Calls It Quits

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Updated: | Originally published: ;

House Speaker John Boehner has had enough. And on Friday at a closed meeting with his Republican members, he told them he plans to retire from Congress and resign his seat effective Oct. 30.

Boehner was facing a no confidence challenge to his leadership from the 40+ members of the conservative Freedom Caucus, who’ve been increasingly frustrated at Boehner’s inability to block President Obama’s second-term agenda, everything from the Iran deal to making a dent in Obamacare. Such a vote would’ve forced Boehner into the arms of Nancy Pelosi and House Democrats in order to survive, a move Boehner was apparently unwilling to make. So, he resigned.

“I woke up and said my prayers as I always do and I said, you know today I’m going to do this,” Boehner told reporters at a Capitol Hill press conference on Friday. “When you’re the Speaker of the House your No. 1 responsibility is to the institution and having a vote like this in the institution isn’t’ very healthy.”

Almost since his first day in office, Boehner has struggled to reign in his right flank. This wasn’t the speakership he’d envisioned. As a young member in the 1990s, Boehner’s sole portrait in his office was of Nicholas Longworth, the last speaker from Ohio. As I wrote in our TIME cover story on Boehner at the beginning of his speakership, he idolized Longworth, who was known for his pragmatism and deal making. But with his hands tied by the Tea Party, there were no deals Boehner could make; His attempts to pass sweeping legislation—a Grand Bargain to reduce long-term deficits, immigration reform, even tax reform—all fell victim to his party’s internal strife.

Read More: Pope Francis to Meet Privately With John Boehner

Boehner, 65, seemed like a man relieved of an enormous burden. He entered the press conference, and exited it, singing “Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah.” He talked candidly about having wanted to retire at the end of 2014, he finally admitted publicly for the first time after years of denying rumors. He’d bought a condo in Florida in February 2014, only to see his heir apparent, Majority Leader Eric Cantor lose his seat, another Tea Party casualty, forcing Boehner to soldier on. He then said, he’d only planned to stay till the end of 2015, a plan he was going to announce on his birthday. Nov. 17, but that circumstances had prompted him to move up that timeline. He told his wife and staff this morning. And, he said, he had to tell Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy five times before their scheduled meeting with members Friday morning before McCarthy would believe him.

Boehner, a devout Catholic, on Thursday hosted Pope Francis and, he said, prayed on the decision looming before him. The no confidence vote seems to be the final straw that broke Boehner’s will to remain.

“I really hope they don’t do it,” said former Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, a Mississippi Republican, told me earlier this week of the vote. “I mean, I’m as conservative as they are, John’s as conservative as they are. We just disagree on tactics. Their tactics make no sense.” Indeed, had Boehner stayed, he likely would’ve been forced to ask for Democratic help—and the pound of flesh that they would’ve extracted would’ve killed his speakership any way. So, he decided, best to move on now rather than beggar his party to the opposition.

Boehner’s exit will likely elevate McCarthy, who took over Cantor’s spot in 2014. “Kevin would make an excellent Speaker,” Boehner said at his press conference. It’s a meteoritic and unlikely rise for the former California deli owner who was only elected to Congress in 2006. “The right flank likes McCarthy,” says one senior House GOP aide. “He has done a lot of work to reach out to them and, fairly or unfairly, they feel he listens more to them than Boehner does.”

Up until Friday, Boehner had been aggressively defending his position, granting an interview with Politico last week to underline his money-raising prowess. But, clearly, his calculations changed this week as he faced the no confidence vote followed by what is increasingly likely to be another government shutdown in late November or early December.

The conference greeted the news with mixed feelings. While some on the right celebrated, others expressed remorse. “Speaker Boehner has led the House through some of the toughest times our country has ever faced and did so with poise, patience, and an unmatched grace,” said Rep. Ed Royce, a California Republican who chairs the House Foreign Affairs Committee. “He will be sorely missed. I thank John for his service to our nation and wish him and Debbie all the best moving forward.”

7 Times World Leaders Addressed Congress

Pope Francis in Washington DC
Pope Francis, addressed a joint meeting of the U.S. Congress with with Vice President Joe Biden and Speaker of the House John Boehner in the House Chamber of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, on Sept. 24, 2015, urging legislators to work together to solve problems and avoid polarizationJim Lo Scalzo—EPA
US-ISRAEL-CONGRESS-NETANYAHU
Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli Prime Minister, addressed Congress on March 3, 2015, urging a stop to the Iran nuclear talks. His policy positions are often controversial, but he enjoys a privileged position when it comes to visiting the legislature, this was his third visit to Congress.Mandel Ngan—AFP/Getty Images
King Hussein JOrdan Yitzhak Rabin Israel Joint Session Congress
Yitzhak Rabin, Israeli Prime Minister, and King Hussein of Jordan shake hands following a joint address to Congress on July 26, 1994. In the second of two Arab-Israeli appearances, Jordan's leader appeared with Israel's prime minister to celebrate their peace treaty. The treaty, signed the next month, ended a 46-year state of war.David Rubinger—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Joint Session of Congress Nelson Mandela South Africa
Nelson Mandela addresses Congress on June 26, 1990. At the time, he was president of the African National Congress. Apartheid was still law in South Africa and Mandela had only just been released from prison a few months before his appearance before lawmakers.Kevin Larkin—AFP/Getty Images
Joint Session of Congress Pakistian Bhutto
Benazir Bhutto, prime minister of Pakistan, addresses Congress on June 7, 1989. She was the first woman elected to lead an Islamic state, and she remains Pakistan's only woman prime minister to date. After serving two non-consecutive terms, she was exiled to Dubai in 1999. She returned to Pakistan in 2007 to run for the office again, and was assassinated.J.Scott—AP
Joint Session of Congress Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Thatcher, British Prime Minister, addressed Congress on Feb. 20, 1985. She was the first female head of state to do so who was not a monarch.Bob Daugherty—AP
Anwar Sadat Menachim Begin Israel Egypt Joint Session Congress
Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, left, and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin respond to applause in the chambers of the U.S. House of Representatives during a joint session of Congress on Sept. 18, 1978. A day earlier, the leaders had signed the historic Camp David accords, which ended 30 years of war and led to a peace treaty between the two nations in 1979.AP
Iran Shah Reza Pahlavi Joint Session Congress
Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi, Shah of Iran, addressed Congress on April 12, 1962. He was deposed in 1979. No Iranian leader has addressed a joint session since.Aziz Rashki—AP

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