Powerful House GOP chair retiring after Mayorkas impeachment
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Rep. Mark Green. Photo: Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
House Homeland Security Chair Mark Green (R-Tenn.) won’t seek re-election, he told Axios in an interview.
Why it matters: Green joins a sizable number of powerful Republicans exiting Congress, with the Tennessee Republican noting that the slim GOP majority and dysfunction in Congress was part of his decision not to seek re-election.
- Green's decision to retire comes the same week as the House voted to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
- Green joins House Appropriations Committee Chair Kay Granger (R-Texas), Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.), Financial Services Committee Chair Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.), and House Select Committee on China Chair Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) in announcing they won't seek re-election.
Between the lines: "There's also just the frustration of trying to get something done here," Green told Axios in an interview.
- "This place is so broken, and making a difference here is just you know, just it feels like a lot of something for nothing."
What he's saying: While Green — a former Army officer, doctor and state senator — noted the struggles of the current state of play in Congress, he said serving has often been rewarding.
- Green touted the work he's done on the committee, including impeaching Mayorkas and his efforts to pass the House GOP's border security bill, noting that he still would like to tackle cyber workforce legislation before the end of his term.
- "The NDAA amendments that I've gotten to build more barracks for soldiers to get better training facilities for soldiers. You know, those Gold Star families you know, had an amendment, and I had the K2 bill. Getting those things done to take care of veterans, those are the things that I'm the most proud of," he said.
What's next: Green said he's not ruling out a future bid for higher office, but he's currently working to get former President Trump elected in November.
