With the Republican House Majority Speaker of Congress stepping down, the American political environment may be shifting onto a new path.
John Boehner shook the American public on Sept. 25 when he announced to live cameras that he planned to resign from the position of House Majority Speaker at the end of October 2015.
“It’s going to be tough to replace John Boehner,” said David Gomez, an AP U.S. History teacher. “Boehner was a very seasoned House Majority Speaker, and not many people can fill his role.”
The next possible candidate is believed to be second in line Republican, Kevin McCarthy, from California. CNN said that McCarthy is promising that he will take a much stronger position against the White House than Boehner did. He promises to listen to all members of the house and their opinions.
The timing of Boehner’s controversial statement could not be any more poorly timed. With the government shutdown and question of Planned Parenthood looming over the heads of Congressmen, many political analysts believe that the resignation of the House only heightened tensions further.
As known prior to the reveal, Republicans had been attacking the Planned Parenthood policy in an attempt to overturn funding, which would in turn cause the government shutdown.
“With all due respect to the Speaker and his announcement, we still have to stop the government from shutting down,” said Nancy Pelosi, the House Minority Leader, in a recent news conference.
Pelosi and Boehner had been working together in an attempt to rally enough votes for the Planned Parenthood bill which would have prevented the government shutdown. The resignation of Boehner may have gained more support for the bill, but it is still a current issue, which could possibly change.
The government shutdown traditionally occurs when the Democrats and Republicans of Congress cannot agree on how to apply funding for government projects. According to the New York Times, Republicans of the House had been pressuring the Majority House Speaker to not fund Planned Parenthood , and this pressure may have driven Boehner to his decision of stepping down.
“It had become clear to me that this prolonged leadership turmoil would do irreparable harm to the institution,” said Boehner as he revealed his intentions. “I don’t want my members to have to go through this.”
