Off The Grid: Speaker John Boehner Announces He is Resigning from Congress at End of October

House speaker John Boehner tells his fellow Republicans he will step down from his Ohio Congressional seat October 30th.

The speaker told his fellow republicans in a private meeting Friday morning he will resign his Ohio congressional seat on October 30th.

Boehner’s office said in a statement: "The speaker believes putting members through prolonged leadership turmoil would do irreparable damage to the institution."

His aide also stated Friday morning, Boehner had planned to leave congress at the end of 2014 but decided to return after his former congressman Eric Cantor lost in the primary.

According to USA Today, Boehner’s announcement drew in mixed reactions from capitol hill—his GOP colleagues reportedly in shock and tears—while others, who have criticized Boehner for not pushing the Planned Parenthood defunding bill harder, were happy with the change.

Boehner reportedly told Politico Thursday he had nothing left to accomplish after bringing Pope Francis to the capitol.

Boehner’s top aide also told CNN he made the decision Thursday night and decided to leave on a high note after the pope’s visit.

Boehner served five years in his tenure to the House of Representatives.

Written by

Kanika Lal

Kanika Lal moved to Los Angeles to pursue her career as a host, writer, and producer. She currently works for Ora TV’s NewsBreaker where she constantly keeps up with the latest stories, writes, and broadcasts them from Ora studios. Kanika began her love for journalism at The Hollywood Reporter as a digital news producer and red carpet correspondent. She had the honor of interviewing Anderson Cooper, John Mayer, Cate Blanchett, and covered the 71st Annual Golden Globes. After a rewarding and solid year, she then took her skills a step closer to her passion: hosting. You can catch her recapping television shows under Maria Menounos’ AfterBuzz TV as well as hosting and producing a Bollywood show for Menounos’ Popcorn Talk network. Kanika thrives on self-expression, and she achieves that through Indian classical and contemporary dance as well as hip-hop. She also has small but growing acting credits under her name, as she strives to branch out creatively. Kanika thrives on discovering hidden stories and engaging with a variety of people. She hopes to have an influence in the world of arts, pop culture, politics, and science.

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