UPDATE
Feb 29, 2024 4:25 PM CST
After being lobbied in calls from "constituents, colleagues, and President Trump," Rep. Mark Green has reversed his decision to retire from Congress. Trump welcomed Green's unretirement in a Truth Social post on Thursday and said he'll endorse him, Axios reports. Reelection would keep the Tennessee lawmaker as the top Republican on the House Homeland Security Committee. Green said Gen. Douglas McArthur's "Duty, honor, country" quote got to him. "I realized once again: I had a duty to my country to fulfill," Green said, per the AP, adding that he wants to be in Congress to support Trump. Green's first announcement had not set off a stampede among Republicans to seek the seat.
Feb 14, 2024 7:05 PM CST
Rep. Mark Green on Wednesday announced that he won't run for a fourth term, pointing to the impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas the day before as among the reasons it is "time for me to return home." In a statement, the AP reports, the Tennessee Republican said: "Our country—and our Congress—is broken beyond most means of repair. I have come to realize our fight is not here within Washington, our fight is with Washington." As chairman of the Committee on Homeland Security, Green was a driving force behind the impeachment push over border security in a deeply partisan and highly unusual attack on a Cabinet official.
Green's panel conducted a monthslong investigation of Mayorkas, his policies, and his management of the department, ultimately concluding Tuesday that his conduct in office amounted to "high crimes and misdemeanors" worthy of impeachment. Green has served since 2019 in his state's 7th Congressional District, which was redrawn in 2022 to include a significant portion of Nashville. He previously was an Army surgeon and a state senator. Then-President Donald Trump nominated Green for Army secretary. He later withdrew his nomination after criticism over his remarks about Muslims and LGBTQ+ Americans, including saying that being transgender is a disease.
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After winning the congressional seat in 2018, Green again made headlines after hosting a town hall where he stated, without citing evidence, that vaccines cause autism. He later walked back his comments but not before state health officials described Green as a "goofball." His statement Wednesday said he'll "continue serving this country—but in a new capacity." Other House chairs who have said they won't seek reelection, per Axios, include Kay Granger of Appropriations, Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Energy and Commerce, Patrick McHenry of Financial Services, and Mike Gallagher of the Select Committee on China.
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