'I hate being here': GOP's 'brain trust' getting chased off by Matt Gaetz

Lawmakers are sick of serving in the 118th Congress halfway through their term, and many Republicans are heading for the exits.

Five GOP committee chairs – Cathy McMorris Rodgers, Mike Gallagher, Mark Green, Patrick McHenry and Kay Granger – are retiring, and 10 other Republicans and 11 Democrats are leaving Congress.

What's more, ousted House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who retired early at the end of last year, blames Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) for the exodus, reported NBC News.

“It’s unfortunate because you think of brain trust you’re losing," McCarthy said. "Now I blame a lot of that on the Crazy Eight led by Matt Gaetz. They want to make this place dysfunctional to try to wear people out.”

Gaetz was unapologetic about chasing off experienced lawmakers.

“I wear out politicians? Maybe so,” Gaetz said. “It sure beats selling out the American people, which McCarthy did until I removed him.”

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Republicans hold a slim three-seat majority after New York voters elected Democrat Tom Suozzi to replace fabulist Republican George Santos, who was expelled in December after he was indicted for fraud, and some of the exiting members are worried about getting consigned to the minority.

“If we are not successful in doing our work here and we wind up in the minority, who wants to finish out your career here in the minority?” said House Science, Space and Technology Committee chair Frank Lucas (R-OK), who is close to many of the retiring members but will run for re-election himself.

However, Lucas said lawmakers haven't had a salary increase since the late 2000s and are getting lured away to the private sector, where the specialized knowledge they gained serving on committees is valuable, and he doesn't blame them for leaving Washington, D.C.

“It’s a combination of all those things — it’s not one particular issue," Lucas said, "and if you want to throw on top of that just the nasty, shrill nature of the legislative process these days. This is kind of an unpleasant town and unpleasant process."

The dysfunction fostered by Gaetz and other far-right MAGA Republicans does seem to be grinding down members, and even those who aren't leaving are weary.

“I’ve been here 15 years," said Rep. Mike Quigley (D-IL). "The most common line I hear from people now, my colleagues, is: ‘We can’t get anything done and I hate being here.’ That’s the most common refrain, so it’s a recipe for people leaving."