House Speaker Paul Ryan is losing allies as a wave of upcoming Republican retirements approaches, Politico reports.
Many of the Wisconsin Republican's closest allies who are retiring include leading House Ways and Means Committee member Rep. Pat Tiberi, R-Ohio who announced on Thursday that he will resign before the end of the year.
"Leaving Congress is not a decision I take lightly but after a lot of consideration, it is the best one for me, my wife, Denice, and our four wonderful daughters," he said in a statement, according to The Hill.
"It's very difficult to achieve big-ticket items, not to mention just accomplish the basic items of governance — keeping the government open or not defaulting on our obligations — so that's a source of frustration for me," said Rep. Charlie Dent, R-Penn., the chair of the Tuesday Group who's already announced he won't be seeking re-election next year.
"Tiberi's retirement is bad for Congress and bad for the country," Dent told the Hill upon the Ohio Republican's announcement. "I certainly understand his reasons. Our retirements speak to a frustration among the governing wing of the party."
He added, "Congress should take a lot of the blame; but so should the president. The president doesn't lay down his plans, his ideas, his policies, and he sure as hell didn't try to sell it to the American people on healthcare — and that's a function of leadership. Saying, 'Send me a bill and I'll sign it' — that's not leadership."
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