Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) announced on Wednesday that he will "depart the House at the end of this year to serve America in new ways" in a Wall Street Journal op-ed, though he pledges that his "work is only getting started" as he leaves the Capitol after being ousted in a vote led by Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) earlier this year.
"I will continue to recruit our country’s best and brightest to run for elected office," McCarthy wrote. "The Republican Party is expanding every day, and I am committed to lending my experience to support the next generation of leaders."
As the son of a firefighter from Bakersfield, my story is the story of America. For me, every moment came with a great deal of devotion and responsibility.
— Kevin McCarthy (@SpeakerMcCarthy) December 6, 2023
Serving you in Congress and as the 55th Speaker of the House has been my greatest honor. pic.twitter.com/jNnYQ8UO4k
Calling himself "an optimist," McCarthy reflected on the "17 years I've served in the same congressional seat — the same office in which I was once denied an internship."
Reminding that he ushered Republicans to a House majority "twice" and "got more Republican women, veterans and minorities elected to Congress at any one time than ever before," McCarthy said he "remained cheerfully persistent when elected speaker because I knew what we could accomplish," before recapping the House GOP's work under his leadership:
Even with slim margins in the House, we passed legislation to secure the border, achieve energy independence, reduce crime, hold government accountable and establish a Parents’ Bill of Rights. We did exactly what we said we would do.
We kept our eyes on America’s long-term global challenges by restoring the Intelligence Committee to its original charter and establishing a bipartisan Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party.
We reduced the deficit by more than $2 trillion, revamped work requirements for adults on the sidelines, cut red tape for critical domestic energy projects, and protected the full faith and credit of the U.S. We kept our government operating and our troops paid while wars broke out around the world.
No matter the odds, or personal cost, we did the right thing. That may seem out of fashion in Washington these days, but delivering results for the American people is still celebrated across the country.
Noting that "the more Washington does, the worse America gets," McCarthy wrote that the "challenges we face are more likely to be solved by innovation than legislation." Still, the former speaker and soon-to-be-former member of Congress said that "the most reliable solution to what ails America is before our eyes: everyday men and women who are raising families, showing up for work, volunteering, and pursuing the American dream with passion and purpose."
Noting the "best attempts by special interest groups and the news media to divide us," an optimistic McCarthy wrote that he has "seen the goodness of the American people" who will "ultimately uphold the enduring values of our great nation."
Reflecting on his rise from freshman congressman in 2007 to Speaker of the House in 2023, McCarthy said he "never could have imagined the journey when I first threw my hat into the ring." Now on his way out of elected politics — at least for now — he says "I go knowing I left it all on the field—as always, with a smile on my face. And looking back, I wouldn’t have had it any other way," he wrote. "Only in America."