Last Friday, House Speaker John Boehner made a very startling announcement; he is resigning from congress. Almost no one heard of his decision until Friday.
āThis morning I woke up, said my prayers, as I always do, and thought, āThis is the day I am going to do this,āā he stated during aĀ news conference in the Capitol.
Boehnerās resignation comes at a crucial time. The government was at risk of shutting down next week, but with the Speakerās resignation announcement, he will likely compromise in whatever way necessary sinceĀ there will be no risk to his position.
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John Boehner being sworn in as speaker of the House in January 2013
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Boehner will end his time as House Speaker at the end of October, leaving the complicated dynamics of congress to the next candidate. The Republican Party is still struggling to form a cohesive unit as presidential candidates increase their efforts to receive the party nomination.
Boehnerās announcement came only one day after Pope Francis visited the Capitol, something that Boehner, a Catholic, had long hoped for.
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Pope Francis (center) with Vice President Joe Biden (left) and House Speaker John Boehner (right)
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