Politics
JUST IN: GOP Congressman Abruptly Resigns In Stunning Move
A longtime GOP congressman will be resigning his seat next month, but not before doing all he can to help secure passage of President Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful” tax cut bill.
The abrupt departure by Rep. Mark Green (R-TN) will leave Republicans with a slimmer majority for the remainder of the 119th Congress. However, Green said in a lengthy announcement that he will be staying in office long enough to vote for Trump’s bill one more time.
“It is with a heavy heart that I announce my retirement from Congress. Recently, I was offered an opportunity in the private sector that was too exciting to pass up. As a result, today I notified the Speaker and the House of Representatives that I will resign from Congress as soon as the House votes once again on the reconciliation package,” he wrote on X.
Green, who chairs the Homeland Security Committee, acknowledged the importance of remaining in office long enough to pass the “One Big, Beautiful Bill,” which will inevitably return with changes from U.S. Senate Republicans in the coming weeks. Trump, Johnson, and Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) have agreed to try and send the bill to the president’s desk by the Fourth of July.
“I am grateful to Speaker Johnson and House Leadership for placing their trust in me to chair the Committee on Homeland Security, lead the effort to impeach former Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, and to pass H.R. 2, the Secure the Border Act, the strongest border security legislation in history to ever pass the House,” Green said in a separate statement. “However, my time in Congress has come to an end.”
The Tennessee Republican originally announced his retirement last year before jumping into the race and running for an additional term. Shortly afterward, his wife went public with news of an extramarital affair, which Politico corroborated.
Under House rules, lawmakers are required to disclose negotiations with another employer to the Ethics Committee. They are required to recuse themselves from matters where the future employer may be involved. Green did not disclose who will be hiring him after he leaves office.
The vacancy by Green could remain for at least several months. Under Tennessee law, Gov. Bill Lee is required to call a special election 10 days after the seat is emptied, with the general election to be held between 100 and 107 days later.
Green’s seat is considered safely Republican. President Trump won the district in 2024 by 22 points last year.
