What the rush of congressional retirements means

[mystery-ak]

 What the rush of congressional retirements means
by Michael E. Bednarczuk, opinion contributor - 12/06/23 11:30 AM ET

The recently expelled George Santos isn’t the only representative leaving Congress. Over the past several weeks, a number members have announced that they are either resigning or retiring, with the expectation that more will follow suit.

Life as a representative or senator comes with great power and responsibility, and many are easily reelected. Given these perks, why are members leaving, and what does this mean for both this session of Congress and the next?

First, the scope of retirements and resignations for this Congress could be quite large. Following Rep. Patrick McHenry’s retirement announcement on Tuesday, almost 40 lawmakers have said that they will not seek reelection. Driving this number was a spike in November, when over 10 made this announcement. Such a large number in November is unusual, as such announcements are typically made in the early months of an election year. This suggests that more may be on the horizon, which could make this a substantial retirement class.

The reasons for retirement vary but usually fall into predictable categories. Several lawmakers are running for a different office: Sen. Mike Braun is seeking to become the next governor of Indiana, while Rep. Jim Banks is now seeking to fill the seat vacated by Braun. Others are pursuing career opportunities outside of elected office, such as Rep. Bill Johnson, who will be leaving the House to serve as president of Youngstown State University.

more
https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/4345020-what-the-rush-of-congressional-retirements-means/

[catfish1957]

I know this is tin-foil hat fodder, but if there were a group "in the know" of an impending economic collapse, these would be the culprits.

How better to avoid the pitchfork crowd than getting the hell outta Dodge.

[DefiantMassRINO]

Let the wastes of space leave Congress so we can fill those seats with invidividuals who are principled conservatives.

Many of the alleged "conservatives" in Congress are charlatans who only give conservative lip service to the unwashed masses.

[catfish1957]

Let the wastes of space leave Congress so we can fill those seats with invidividuals who are principled conservatives.

Many of the alleged "conservatives" in Congress are charlatans who only give conservative lip service to the unwashed masses.

Case in point....  Can you list even one fiscal conservative in the spirit of Tom Delay or Phil Gramm.

[berdie]

I know this is tin-foil hat fodder, but if there were a group "in the know" of an impending economic collapse, these would be the culprits.

How better to avoid the pitchfork crowd than getting the hell outta Dodge.

I don't know that is "tin-foil".

[libertybele]

Let the wastes of space leave Congress so we can fill those seats with invidividuals who are principled conservatives.

Many of the alleged "conservatives" in Congress are charlatans who only give conservative lip service to the unwashed masses.

Good luck on that. You have to have enough principled conservatives running in order to fill seats. I don't think that they are waiting in the wings. This country is in very rough shape and no one in Congress wants to be the last one to turn off the lights.

[corbe]

   IMHO congress critters are realizing it's futile to try and work with either bidet or Trump, both big spenders, and catching all the h3ll.

[Fishrrman]

Catfish mourns:
"Can you list even one fiscal conservative in the spirit of Tom Delay or Phil Gramm."

To paraphrase an old outro:
"Tom Delay and Phil Gramm have left the building..."

(and they -- and the likes of them -- won't be back)