Rep. Mike Rogers plans to leave Congress after current term

Rep. Mike Rogers, the head of the House Intelligence Committee, is leaving Congress at the end of his current term.

Mr. Rogers, Michigan Republican, told a local radio station that he plans on starting a national radio program, and his office released a statement in which the seven-term lawmaker said it has been “an honor to serve the people of Michigan’s Eighth Congressional District over the last 14 years.”

“We have accomplished so much together, and I am most proud of our work to turn the House Intelligence Committee into a true legislative and oversight body,” Mr. Rogers said. “But I have always believed in our founders’ idea of a citizen legislature.”

“I had a career before politics and always planned to have one after,” he said. “The genius of our institutions is they are not dependent on the individual temporary occupants privileged to serve. That is why I have decided not to seek re-election to Congress in 2014.”

Mr. Rogers said that he will continue to be a “voice for American exceptionalism” and to support a strong national defense.

He follows in the footsteps other House GOP committee chairman who have decided not to seek re-election.

Earlier this year, Rep. Buck McKeon, the head of the House Armed Services Committee, and Rep. Doc Hastings, head of the House Natural Resources Committee, announced they were leaving Congress at the end of their current term.

Greg Walden, the head of the National Republican Congressional Committee, said Mr. Rogers will be missed.

“Mike Rogers is without equal in the halls of Congress,” Mr. Walden said. “First as an FBI agent and later as chairman of the House Committee on Intelligence, Mike has spent his entire life ensuring our country has been kept safe from threats both foreign and domestic. He never once let partisan politics stand in the way of doing what’s right for our nation and its safety. I can’t think of anyone who enjoys more respect from both Republicans and Democrats alike.”