Oct 3, 2023 - Politics

Victoria Spartz has talked about quitting Congress since Day 1

James Briggs

Representative Victoria Spartz speaks on a smartphone while departing the U.S. Capitol on Saturday. — Rep. Victoria Spartz talks on the phone outside the U.S. Capitol amid a flurry of activity Saturday. Photo: Anna Rose Layden/Bloomberg via Getty Images

U.S. Rep. Victoria Spartz (R-Ind.) on Monday said she "will consider resigning" unless Congress commits to studying ways to reduce the debt and deficit.

Driving the news: "I cannot save this Republic alone," Spartz said while calling for the creation of a debt commission, her latest in a series of eyebrow-raising remarks in recent weeks.

Spartz compared the U.S. government to the Soviet KGB and downplayed the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection.
She called House Speaker Kevin McCarthy a "weak speaker" and complained about being part of "another worthless Congress."

Why it matters: Spartz's phrasing leaves room for reconsideration, yet follows a pattern in which she has discussed walking away from representing Indiana's 5th District since before she took office.

Flashback: Spartz mused about life after Congress during her first official day as representative-elect on Nov. 4, 2020.

"I have other things I can do in life," Spartz said at the time. "I still plan to be a Ph.D. someday."
"I'll stay (in Congress) for some time. ... I don't want to promise anything."

The big picture: Spartz announced Feb. 3 — some three months after winning re-election in 2022 — she would not run for any office next year.

The bottom line: Spartz is definitely walking away, maybe sooner rather than later.

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Victoria Spartz has talked about quitting Congress since Day 1

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