June 9 (UPI) — Republican Rep. Mark Green of Tennessee plans to resign from Congress for a private-sector job “too exciting to pass up,” once the House takes its final vote on President Donald Trump’s massive policy bill.
Green, who will also vacate his role as chair of the House Homeland Security Committee, already has a job lined up. He announced in February that he wanted to resign, but changed his mind after receiving encouragement from the public and Trump. On Monday, he released a statement on his final decision.
“It is with a heavy heart that I announce my retirement from Congress. Recently, I was offered an opportunity in the private sector that was too exciting to pass up,” Green said.
“As a result, today I notified the Speaker and the House of Representatives that I will resign from Congress as soon as the House votes once again on the reconciliation package,” he added. The legislative package is currently in the Senate.
“Though I planned to retire at the end of the previous Congress, I stayed to ensure that President Trump’s border security measures and priorities make it through Congress. By overseeing the border security portion of the reconciliation package, I have done that,” Green said. “After that, I will retire, and there will be a special election to replace me.”
With Green’s resignation, there will be 219 Republicans and 212 Democrats in the House. Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee will be required to order a special election within 10 days of Green’s resignation. Primary elections would occur within 55 to 60 days, with a general election scheduled within 100 to 107 days.
Green, who served three terms in Congress, is a doctor and a retired U.S. Army major. He served as a flight surgeon during the mission that captured Saddam Hussein. He later wrote about his experience interviewing the Iraqi leader in a book called A Night with Saddam.
As chairman of the Committee on Homeland Security, Green led efforts to impeach former Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and pass the Secure the Border Act.
Green joins a number of Republicans — and GOP committee chairs — who have resigned, including House Energy and Commerce Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., House Financial Services Chair Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., and House Appropriations Chair Kay Granger, R-Texas.
“I have now served the public for nearly four decades. The Army took me to Iraq and Afghanistan. The people sent me to the Tennessee legislature and the halls of Congress,” Green said. “However, my time in Congress has come to an end.”
