John Yarmuth of Kentucky, House Budget Chairman, Announces Retirement

Politics|John Yarmuth of Kentucky, House Budget Chairman, Announces Retirement

WASHINGTON — Representative John Yarmuth of Kentucky, the lone Democrat successful his state’s legislature delegation and the president of the House Budget Committee, announced connected Tuesday that helium would not question re-election successful 2022.

Mr. Yarmuth, who is playing a starring relation successful shepherding President Biden’s sprawling home docket done Congress, is the archetypal elder House Democrat to accidental helium volition not tally successful the midterms, erstwhile Republicans are wide believed to person a bully accidental of wresting the majority.

In a video circulated connected societal media, Mr. Yarmuth, who volition beryllium 75 astatine the extremity of the existent Congress, said helium was leaving due to the fact that of “a tendency to person much power of my clip successful the years I person left” and to walk much clip with his family.

He besides faced the imaginable that his Louisville-centered territory could beryllium redrawn this year, perchance starring to a much hard re-election race, though Mr. Yarmuth told reporters aboriginal connected Tuesday that helium was assured the territory “won’t alteration significantly.” Even if helium were to prevail, helium would look the nonaccomplishment of his committee chairmanship if Democrats mislaid the House.

“I cognize that connected my archetypal time arsenic a backstage citizen, I volition regret this decision, and I volition beryllium miserable astir having near the astir gratifying relation of my nonrecreational life,” Mr. Yarmuth said successful the video. “But I besides cognize that each time thereafter, I volition find different ways to assistance my chap citizens, and I volition beryllium much assured that the determination I announced contiguous is the close one.”

He has held his spot since 2006 and has been the lone Democrat successful the legislature delegation since 2013.

Mr. Yarmuth is among the astir high-ranking Democrats acceptable to depart Congress astatine the extremity of 2022, joining a trickle of rank-and-file lawmakers who person decided to question a antithetic governmental bureau oregon vacate a territory that is apt to alteration importantly erstwhile authorities officials redraw them utilizing information from the 2020 census.

“In Chairman John Yarmuth, the Louisville assemblage and so each Americans person had a fierce and extraordinarily effectual champion for their health, fiscal information and well-being,” Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California said successful a statement. With his retirement, she added, “the Congress volition suffer a greatly respected member, and our caucus volition suffer a person whose omniscient counsel, expertise, wit and warmth is cherished.”

In his relation starring the Budget Committee, Mr. Yarmuth helped oversee transition of the $1.9 trillion pandemic alleviation bundle successful March, which helium called the proudest infinitesimal of his legislature career. He has besides drafted the $3.5 trillion fund blueprint that Democrats pushed done implicit the summertime to pave the mode for Mr. Biden’s signature home measure addressing clime change, expanding wellness attraction and nationalist acquisition programs and expanding taxes connected businesses and affluent individuals.

Asked by reporters connected Capitol Hill astir the absorption to his announcement, Mr. Yarmuth said “it’s been overwhelming — I’ve been doing my champion to support it unneurotic each day.”