House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) (J. Scott Applewhite/AP)
The decision comes ahead of mid-term elections that were already looking treacherous for Republicans, who risk losing control of the House.
[GOP increasingly fears loss of House, focuses on saving Senate majority]
The party has seen a large number of retirements, and Ryan’s exit is certain to sap morale as Republicans seek to contain a surge in enthusiasm from Democrats, whose fortunes have been buoyed by the unpopularity of President Trump.
Applause could be heard outside Ryan’s office shortly before 9 a.m. as he was meeting with staff. He shared the news with GOP lawmakers in a closed door meeting shortly afterward.
“He is not running for reelection,” said Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.), chairman of the House Freedom Caucus. “He has had an outstanding legacy as a conservative policy thought leader and will be successful in any future endeavor.”
Ryan, 48, was the vice presidential nominee in 2012 on the GOP ticket with Mitt Romney.
He had long championed tax reform, a goal accomplished with the passage last year of the sweeping GOP tax bill.
Ryan was elected by his colleagues in 2015 to replace John Boehner as speaker following Boehner’s retirement.
He has represented Wisconsin’s 1st congressional district since 1999. Ryan was previously chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee and before that chairman of the House Budget Committee.
The news of Ryan’s retirement was first reported by Axios.
The two Republicans most likely to replace Ryan are House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (Calif.) and House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (La.).
If he sticks to this plan, Ryan will become the first speaker since Democrat Tip O’Neill in 1986 to announce his retirement so far in advance. Some of Ryan’s close friends believe this may be a mistake on his part.
Just two weeks ago Eric Cantor, the former House majority leader and longtime Ryan friend, predicted the speaker would serve out his term, run for reelection and then decide his future in November.
To do otherwise, Cantor told The Washington Post in an interview, would be to “abdicate” power and send a signal that Republicans had no chance of keeping the majority.
Democrats were quick to pounce on Ryan’s decision on Wednesday.
“Speaker Ryan sees what is coming in November, and is calling it quits rather than standing behind a House Republican agenda to increase healthcare costs for middle class families while slashing Social Security and Medicare to pay for his handouts to the richest and largest corporations,” said Tyler Law, a spokesman for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.
Mike DeBonis and Paul Kane contributed to this report.