© 2024 WYSO
Our Community. Our Nation. Our World.
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

House Speaker John Boehner To Resign

John Boehner
Gage Skidmore
/
Flickr/Creative Commons

House Speaker John Boehner, a Republican representing the Springfield area and areas west of Dayton, will resign his position at the end of October.

Boehner was reelected as speaker of the House in January, but he's faced growing rancoramong House Republicans, who are divided over both politics and tactics. The most recent skirmish involves whether to tie a fight over federal funding for the women's health group Planned Parenthood to the current effort to pass a federal spending bill. 

A statement from a Boehner aide reads, "Speaker Boehner believes that the first job of any Speaker is to protect this institution and, as we saw yesterday with the Holy Father, it is the one thing that unites and inspires us all. The Speaker’s plan was to serve only through the end of last year.  Leader Cantor’s loss in his primary changed that calculation.  The Speaker believes putting members through prolonged leadership turmoil would do irreparable damage to the institution. He is proud of what this majority has accomplished, and his Speakership, but for the good of the Republican Conference and the institution, he will resign the Speakership and his seat in Congress, effective October 30."

House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy is expected to replace him as speaker, and a special election to fill his 8th district seat will be scheduled by Ohio Governor John Kasich as soon as possible.