Washington:
Kevin McCarthy, who was ousted as Republican speaker of the US House of Representatives in October, announced on Wednesday that he will resign from Congress at the end of this year.
The departure of the 58-year-old congressman from California will give Republicans a narrow majority of 220 to 213 in the Chamber.
McCarthy's announcement comes just days after George Santos, a scandal-plagued Republican representative from New York, was expelled from the House of Representatives, just the sixth member to be thrown out since Congress began deliberating in 1789.
Two months ago, McCarthy became the first speaker to be impeached in the 234-year history of the House of Representatives.
He was removed during an uprising by far-right members of his Republican Party, who were outraged by his collaboration with Democrats.
The former entrepreneur sparked ire among conservatives when he approved a bipartisan emergency funding measure, backed by the White House, to avert a government shutdown.
In a column in The Wall Street Journal announcing his resignation, McCarthy, who was elected to Congress in 2006 and whose final two-year term would end in January 2025, said he would remain involved in Republican politics.
“I know my work has only just begun,” he said. “I will continue to recruit our country's best and brightest to run for elected office.
“The Republican Party is expanding every day and I am committed to using my experience to support the next generation of leaders.”
Special elections will be held in California and New York to replace McCarthy and Santos in the 435-seat House of Representatives.
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