Washington (CNN)John Boehner,
the Ohio Republican who steered his party to an overwhelming House
majority in 2010, said in a news conference Friday afternoon he had
decided only that morning to announce his plans to resign from Congress.
"Last night I started thinking
about this and this morning I woke up and I said my prayers -- as I
always do -- and I decided today's the day I'm going to do this. As
simple as that," Boehner said during an emotional Capitol Hill press
conference a day after he had a moving encounter with Pope Francis.
He will step down as Speaker and leave Congress at the end of October.
The
Ohio Republican's tenure as Speaker has been marked by clashes with
conservatives -- especially when it comes to fiscal policy. He's
struggled to push through legislation to increase the debt ceiling and
was facing another showdown next week to keep the government open. The
Speaker has often relied on Democratic votes during these moments -- a
strategy that has infuriated conservatives.
Boehner,
who turns 65 in November, said Friday that he had planned to step down
at the end of the year but turmoil within his caucus prompted him to
resign earlier than planned.
"I got
plenty of people following me but this turmoil that's been churning now
for a couple of months, it's not good for the members and it's not good
for the institution. If I was not planning on leaving here soon, I can
tell you I would not have done it," Boehner said.
The
abrupt decision comes amid heavy pressure from conservatives for
Boehner to take a harder line on their causes, most recently over
defunding Planned Parenthood as part of a package that would keep the
government open. Boehner said he didn't want to put his fellow members
through another vote to challenge his leadership.
Boehner,
who has presided over the House since 2011, explained during a
closed-door meeting with Republicans Friday morning that he had only
planned to serve two terms as Speaker but decided to hold onto his post
after then-House Majority Leader Eric Cantor lost his seat during a
primary last year.
Boehner also told
the lawmakers that Pope Francis' visit to Congress the day before was a
crystallizing moment, according to the lawmaker. Boehner then read the
prayer of St. Francis to the conference after announcing his decision.
Why now
Boehner
said the main driver behind his resignation was concern for his
conference, he also recalled emotionally when he and the Pope found
themselves alone during the visit Thursday -- something Boehner, a
devout Catholic, had sought since taking the helm of the House GOP
caucus.
"The Pope puts his arm around
me and kind of pulls me to him and says please pray for me. Who am I to
pray for the Pope? But I did," Boehner said, struggling to hold back
tears.
Boehner also drew on the
Pope's words during his address to Congress on Thursday and said he
hoped "we will all heed his call to live by the Golden Rule." He also
stressed the importance for leaders to "find common ground to get things
done."
He said he will not partake in
the vote to choose his successor but said his deputy, House Majority
Leader Kevin McCarthy "would make an excellent Speaker."
President
Barack Obama said Friday at a previously scheduled news conference
alongside Chinese President Xi Jinping that he called Boehner after
learning of his resignation.
He did not
say what he told Boehner, but praised him as "a good man" and "a
patriot" who "cares deeply" about the country and always kept his word.
"We
have obviously had a lot of disagreements and politically we're at
different ends of the spectrum," Obama said. "He has always conducted
himself with courtesy and civility with me. He has kept his word when he
made a commitment. He is somebody who has been gracious. Most
importantly he's somebody who understands that in government and in
governance you don't get 100% of what you want."
Obama
said he hoped Boehner's successor would recognize that political
differences should not come at the risk of shutting down the government.
"There's
no weakness in that. That's what government is in our democracy. You
don't get what you want 100% of the time. So sometimes you take half a
loaf, sometimes you take a quarter loaf and that's certainly something
I've learned here in this office," Obama said.
Congressional leaders respond
House
Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi called Boehner's resignation "seismic for
the House" and called it evidence of the far right's "hijacking" of the
Republican Party. And she said the squabble to succeed Boehner will be
"more than a distraction" to efforts to resolve the latest funding
battle roiling the Hill.
"That
resignation of the Speaker is a stark indication of the disarray of the
House Republicans," Pelosi said during a Friday morning press
conference.
Pelosi said she had not yet
spoken with Boehner, but affirmed that she planned to continue
negotiating directly with him to achieve her goal of funding Planned
Parenthood.
Senate Minority Leader
Harry Reid tweeted similarly that the ouster of "a good man like Speaker
Boehner -- someone who understood the art of compromise" showed that
"the party of Eisenhower and Reagan is no more."
Senate
Majority Leader Mitch McConnell also lamented Boehner's resignation,
saying it is "very, very sad" that the tea party has "taken over control
of the party."
"John Boehner, he ...
is a conservative Republican, but his problem is that John Boehner has
been pragmatic. He realizes that there come times when you have to make a
deal," McConnell said, before pointing out that Reagan also "understood
the art of compromise."
Boehner and
McConnell have not always seen eye to eye as Boehner wrestled with
hardline conservatives in his caucus, but McConnell said that throughout
those disagreements, Boehner "never, ever misled me.
"His word was always good," McConnell said.
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