Rep. Mark Green (R-TN), who chairs the House Homeland Security Committee, is resigning from Congress early, giving lawmakers deja vu after he reversed his decision in 2024 not to seek reelection.
Green said in a statement on Monday that he is retiring with a “heavy heart” and notified Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) he will resign “as soon as the House votes once again on the reconciliation package.”
“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,” Green said. “By overseeing the border security portion of the reconciliation package, I have done that. After that, I will retire, and there will be a special election to replace me.”
“It was the honor of a lifetime to represent the people of Tennessee in Congress,” Green added. “They asked me to deliver on the conservative values and principles we all hold dear, and I did my level best to do so.”
He praised his time in Congress, noting his chairmanship, the House’s successful effort to impeach former Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, though the Senate dismissed the articles, and H.R. 2, a piece of legislation integral to the Republican agenda that called for securing the border and cracking down on illegal immigration.
This isn’t the first time the Tennessee Republican has tried to leave Capitol Hill.
Green decided in February 2024 that he would not seek reelection that November. However, after being flooded with calls from constituents and receiving pressure from Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and President Donald Trump, the Tennessee congressman decided to reverse his decision and remain.
Republicans are looking to pass the “big, beautiful” reconciliation bill out of Congress and send it to Trump’s desk by July 4, meaning Green could be retiring as early as this month, but more likely in early July.
With Johnson only able to lose three votes on a piece of legislation to pass it along party lines, Republicans will be desperate to have a special election to fill Green’s seat. With Green’s retirement, Johnson’s majority will narrow to just two seats.
MARK GREEN LOOKS AHEAD AFTER REVERSING RETIREMENT FROM CONGRESS: ‘BIG, BIG THINGS’
Green’s district is considered solidly Republican, so it is all but assured the seat will remain in GOP hands.