In a single week, the Republican chairs of three U.S. House committees announced they would not be seeking reelection, raising questions about whether the chaos that has reigned this Congress is driving out some of the GOP’s top talent. What makes the retirements particularly noteworthy is that none of the chairs were at risk from the term limit requirements House Republicans impose on their committee leaders. They conceivably could have returned to the same leadership roles in the next Congress, but they chose to leave and give up jobs they had worked years to achieve.
