US: Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy to resign from Congress at year-end
Dec 06, 2023
Washington, DC [US], December 6 : In a widely expected move that came two months after his historic ouster from the post of US House Speaker, Kevin McCarthy revealed on Wednesday that he is leaving Congress and would depart at the end of this year in an opinion piece published in the Wall Street Journal, according to CNN.
During his 17-year stint in office, McCarthy has largely been at the top of the leadership table.
In the op-ed, he highlighted his accomplishments and stated that he had no regrets about his time in office.
After suffering through fifteen exhausting rounds of fighting to gain the speaker's gavel in January, McCarthy was ousted from office nine months later, angering his right wing by bringing a makeshift funding package to the floor with Democratic backing, CNN reported.
"No matter the odds, or personal cost, we did the right thing. That may seem out of fashion in Washington these days, but delivering results for the American people is still celebrated across the country," he wrote in the opinion piece, adding, "I never could have imagined the journey when I first threw my hat into the ring," according to CNN.
Kevin McCarthy served as House Speaker for 269 days before he was removed.
His tenure began on January 7, 2023. He was the second-shortest speaker in the country's history.
The mutiny, led by Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), came days after McCarthy averted a government shutdown by putting a stopgap measure on the floor that garnered Democratic support -- a move that infuriated hardline Republicans.
