House Speaker John Boehner announced on Friday morning that he will be resigning from Congress. His last day will be on October 30.
"The first job of any Speaker is to protect this institution that we all love," Boehner said in a statement following his announcement. He added he had planned to resign by the end of 2014, but he "stayed on to provide continuity to the Republican Conference and the House," after former House Majority Leader Eric Cantor lost his position.
"It is my view, however," he added, "that prolonged leadership turmoil would do irreparable damage to the institution. To that end, I will reign the Speakership and my seat in Congress on October 30."
Boehner had been facing opposition from numerous conservative members of the Republican party, who believed that Boehner was not strong enough in fighting for the GOP's stances on certain issues including opposing Obamacare and defunding Planned Parenthood. According to reports, there were talks within the party to oust the Speaker from his position.
Pressure on Boehner particularly mounted recently as members in the GOP pushed for a bill that would defund Planned Parenthood to be included in the federal budget. Boehner previously noted that he was unwilling to cause a government shutdown by sending a Planned Parenthood defunding bill to President Obama, who said he would veto any such measure.
Responses to Boehner's announcement of resignation varied.
"John Boehner has been a great leader of the Republican Party and the House of Representatives," said Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.) in a statement. "This was an act of pure selflessness. John's decades of service have helped move our country forward, and I deeply value his friendship."
"By ousting a good man like Speaker Boehner -- someone who understood the art of compromise -- the party of Eisenhower and Reagan is no more," said Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.).
Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat and former House Speaker, said that Boehner's resignation is "a stark indication of the disarray of the House Republicans."
President Obama also remarked on Boehner's resignation, saying, "John Boehner is a good man. We have obviously ahd a lot of disagreements and politically we are at different ends of the spectrum, but he has always conducted himself with courtesy and civility with me."
According to reports, conservatives responded with a standing ovation as presidential candidate Senator Marco Rubio (Fla.) shared the news of Boehner's announcement at the annual Values Voter Summit.
Following the announcement, Senator Ted Cruz (Tex.) told reporters, "I have long said leadership decisions are decisions to be made by the House, but I have also long called on Republican leadership to do something unusual, which is lead. To actually stand up and honor the commitments we made to the American people."
Republicans will have to vote on the successor for the Speakership position. The most likely candidate is House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), whom Boehner also praised as being an "excellent" potential Speaker.
