In a surprising move, late last week House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) announced in a closed door conference amongst colleagues that he plans to resign as the end of October, 2015, bringing an end to his five-year reign as Speaker of the House of Representatives. Speaker Boehner will introduce a short-term Continuing Resolution to fund federal government programs beyond the end of the current fiscal year next week that will not contain any additional policy riders, such as efforts to defund Planned Parenthood. Early reports indicate that House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-California) is well positioned to take over the House leadership position, although he is likely to face tough opposition.
