[ot-caption title=”An official portrait of John A. Boehner, former United States House of Representatives Speaker. (via a Congressional employee, Wikimedia).”]

Last Friday, September 25th, 2015, John A. Boehner, Speaker of the House, said that he is surrendering his position in Congress.  Boehner shared his resignation with the Republican Party first, as this decision made the proposed government shutdown for the following week less likely. He allegedly did not tell anyone about his decision until he made it public Friday morning.  Boehner cried during his resignation speech, and after he announced the news, he reportedly told the press, “This morning I woke up, said my prayers, as I always do, and thought, ‘This is the day I am going to do this.’”

It is believed that the Speaker struggled with repeated rebellions by conservative Republicans during his rocky five-year reign. He has been confronted with constant pressure through his term from conservatives who believed he was too willing to compromise with President Obama and that he too frequently relied on Democratic votes to pass crucial legislation. He also explained how this prolonged leadership turmoil is going to do irreparable harm to the institution of Congress, and as the Speaker, his job is to protect the institution.

Since Thomas P. O’Neill Jr., who had the job in the late 20^th century, no Speaker has ever left the post cooperatively. For Mr. Boehner, he felt that he would rather exit the House on his own terms rather than potentially have more disagreements with the Republican party later on.

The night before his announcement, Boehner was with Pope Francis on the Pope’s United States tour.  The Speaker became extremely emotional when the Pope asked Boehner to pray with him.  Mr. Boehner, referencing the Pope’s address to Congress, said, “I never thought I’d be in Congress, let alone be speaker,” which shows Boehner’s religious devotion to Catholicism.

Heads from both Democrat and Republic parties applauded Mr. Boehner’s time in office. Democrats are openly worried that his resignation was a sign that biased pressures on the Hill could get even worse this fall as Congress deliberates how to fund the government and whether or not to expand the government’s ability to borrow from other countries. House Minority leader Whip Steny H. Hoyer called Boehner’s resignation a “big loss for the country and a loss for this institution.”

Overall, as with all politics, there are many opinions about the resignation and Boehner’s legacy as Speaker of the House, but the country will find out how Congress will function in October without their previous leader.

Sources: CNN, New York Times, Huffington Post, Wikipedia, Bio.