The chairman of the House Budget Committee announced he will not seek reelection at the end of his current term.
Democrat Representative John Yarmuth, who has represented Kentucky’s third district since 2007, announced his impending retirement on Oct. 12.
He is the founder & Co-Chair of the Congressional Bourbon Caucus. He is currently serving his eighth term in Congress. In addition to charing the House Budget Committee since 2019, Yarmuth is also on the Committee on Education and Labor.
“As budget chair, the Kentucky Democrat has helped to shepherd key parts of President Joe Biden's agenda through the House and has played a major role in the party’s latest priority: a multitrillion-dollar social spending plan,” notes Politico.
In a video posted on Twitter, Yarmuth said, “I never expected to be in Congress this long. I always said I couldn’t imagine being here longer than 10 years. … This term will be my last.”
Yarmuth and his wife, Cathy, have one son, a daughter-in-law, and one grandson.
“The desire to have more control of my time in the years I have left has become a high priority,” Yarmuth said in his announcement. “Candidly, I have found new and incomparable joy in spending time with my young grandson, and I’d like to spend more of my Golden Years with my family in Louisville.”
The congressman called the passage of the American Rescue Plan, which provided emergency assistance in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, his “proudest moment.”
According to NBC News, “The announcement makes him the fourth Democratic House member to announce they’re retiring at the end of this term ahead of what’s already expected to be a challenging year for Democrats looking to maintain their narrow majority in the House (five additional members are leaving their post at the end of this term because they’re running for higher office).”
Yarmuth is a known critic of his fellow Kentucky politician, Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. The 73-year-old called McConnell “deceitful” in regards to recent debt-ceiling negotiations.
Yarmuth is the only Democrat in his state’s delegation. After his announcement, State Democratic Leader Morgan McGarvey said he would be running to fill the opening. He will be challenged by state Representative Attica Scott, another Democrat.
