Michigan Rep. Dave Camp, the GOP chairman of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, announced Monday that he will not seek re-election — adding his name to a growing list of veteran Republicans who are deciding to call it quits at the end of their term.
“I will not seek re-election to the United States House of Representatives,” Mr. Camp said in a statement. “This decision was reached after much consideration and discussion with my family.”
House Speaker John A. Boehner said that Mr. Camp, who was first sworn into Congress with the Ohio Republican as part of the class of 1991, will be missed.
“I have been impressed by his wisdom and thoughtfulness, and grateful for his friendship,” Mr. Boehner said. “He has been a leader in the fight to increase economic growth and help create more American jobs by reforming our tax code, pushing for more effective free trade agreements, and saving Social Security and Medicare for future generations. Along with his colleagues on the Ways and Means Committee, the entire House Republican Conference, and the whole House, I will miss him.”
Mr. Camp is the latest GOP committee chairman in the House to announce he will step aside at the end of the year.
Rep. Mike Rogers said last week that he would not seek another term. 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 that they too were leaving Congress at the end of their current term.
In a statement, Mr. Camp said that he will spend the rest of his term focusing on reshaping the nation’s tax code, “strengthening the social security safety net and finding new markets for U.S. goods and services.”
“Serving in Congress is the great honor of my professional life,” he said. “I am deeply grateful to the people of the 4th Congressional District for placing their trust in me. Over the years, their unwavering support has been a source of strength, purpose and inspiration.”
• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.
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