Rep. John Yarmuth, the Kentucky Democrat who chairs the House Budget Committee, announced Tuesday that he won’t seek re-election next year.
The 73-year-old Yarmuth was first elected to the House in 2006. He has played a major role in crafting Democrats’ coronavirus relief legislation and the larger package of social and climate programs currently being developed.
“While I have just become a lame duck, I intend to spend the next 15 months working hard to build on my proudest moment, the passage of the American Rescue Plan, which I authored and managed through the Congress,” he said.
In a statement, Pelosi praised Yarmuth as a “fierce and extraordinarily effective champion” for Americans’ health and financial security. “When Chairman Yarmuth retires at the end of his term, the Congress will lose a greatly respected Member and our Caucus will lose a friend whose wise counsel, expertise, humor and warmth is cherished,” she said.
Yarmuth, the only Democrat in Kentucky’s congressional delegation, represents a safely blue district that Politico reports is likely to avoid redistricting: “The retirement is especially notable because state Republicans in Frankfurt have been open about their plans to keep his Louisville district largely intact — rather than cracking it up to secure another GOP district.”
