Obama, Arizona Republicans react to House Speaker John Boehner’s resignation
Sep 25, 2015, 2:23 PM | Updated: 2:37 pm
House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio pauses during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Friday, Sept. 25, 2015. In a stunning move, Boehner informed fellow Republicans on Friday that he would resign from Congress at the end of October, stepping aside in the face of hardline conservative opposition that threatened an institutional crisis. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)
(AP Photo/Steve Helber)
PHOENIX — House Speaker John Boehner’s sudden announcement of his resignation from Congress on Friday sparked a reaction on Capitol Hill that included respect, but emphasized the need for a change in leadership.
After originally planning on stepping down last year, Boehner said he stayed in order to “provide continuity to the Republican Conference and the House.”
“The first job of any Speaker is to protect this institution that we all love,” he said. “It is my view, however, that prolonged leadership turmoil would do irreparable damage to the institution.”
Boehner recently found himself in the middle of political turmoil after fellow Conservatives demanded any legislation to keep the government operating past next Wednesday’s deadline strip Planned Parenthood of government funds, even though doing so could lead to a government shutdown.
U.S. Congressman Paul A. Gosar of Arizona said Boehner “helped regain the Speaker’s gavel for Republicans,” but is looking forward to a Republican leadership that will enact change in Legislature.
“At this pivotal moment for our nation, we need bold, Conservative leadership that will install a legislative process with integrity and accountability,” he said in a press release. “The American people have been calling for a return to regular order and a break from the status quo in D.C. ever since they elected a Republican majority back in 2010. Unfortunately, the actions from Republican leadership did not reflect the will of the American people and a change was clearly needed.”
U.S. Rep. Matt Salmon, R-Ariz., said he respected Boehner for relinquishing his House duties and always standing up for what he thought was right, even when it was an unpopular opinion, but acknowledged the American people need a stronger leader.
“As the leader of the Republican Party in Congress, the Speaker must be willing to fight the Obama administration’s dangerous, immoral, and sometimes illegal, actions using every tool our Constitution provides,” he said in a press release. “This is what the majority of Americans want their leaders in Congress to do, and ultimately, Mr. Boehner could no longer provide the leadership necessary to do this.”
Salmon was an open opponent of Boehner remaining in office and even announced he would not vote to keep him as leader at a city hall meeting in Arizona earlier this month.
Salmon said Boehner’s resignation will allow Washington to fight for the rights of the people as opposed to caving to the demands of the administration.
“I sincerely hope all of Washington’s leaders see this for what it really is — a wake-up call to stop ignoring the will of the people,” he said in a press release. “Either we finally rise up to the occasion and stop caving to the Obama administration’s every demand, or we remember the powers of the legislative branch that were designed by our Founding Fathers to prevent the executive branch from becoming a dictatorship.”
President Barack Obama praised the outgoing speaker as a “good man” and a patriot who kept his word to the president.
Referring to GOP threats to shut down the government over funding for Planned Parenthood, Obama said he hopes the next speaker will understand that politicians can have major differences, but they shouldn’t shut down the government or risk the U.S. economy over those disagreements.
At the annual Value Voters forum in Washington, Republican presidential candidates joined in the celebration of Boehner’s departure by lashing out at congressional Republicans for not fighting hard enough for conservative priorities.
“You want to know how much each of you terrify Washington?” Texas Sen. Ted Cruz asked the crowd. “Yesterday, John Boehner was speaker of the house. Y’all come to town and somehow that changes. My only request is, ‘Can you come more often?'”
Real estate mogul Donald Trump, who has ridden a wave of frustration with politics and anyone with ties to government to front-runner status in the GOP’s presidential contest, called Republican congressional leaders like Boehner “babies.”
“We are so disappointed with the Republican establishment,” Trump said. The billionaire suggested that while some people may like Boehner personally, “We want people who are going to get it done.”
No issue has frustrated conservatives more than federal funding for Planned Parenthood, the women’s health-care provider that also offers abortions. They’ve insisted that cutting off that funding via a must-pass government-wide funding bill is the way to force the issue with Obama.
A move to strip taxpayer funding to the organization was blocked in the Senate on Thursday. Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, another 2016 presidential contender, railed against Republicans in Congress who backed down, even when given the opportunity to focus American’s attention on “the horror of abortion.”
“They think they can’t win the battle,” Santorum said, “so they give up before it’s even fought.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
