The historic 38-day government shutdown is driving a growing exodus of lawmakers from Congress as the gridlock and dysfunction push members to question whether it’s worth staying in office, with partisan stalemates continuing to paralyze the body, according to a new report in Axios.
“We ran for office to get things done for our people back home,” Becca Balint (D-VT) told the outlet, noting that the House has been kept out of session for its duration. “Having the Speaker give up all our power to the executive makes it harder and harder for us to truly represent our constituents.”
The mounting frustration was on full display this week when Rep. Jared Golden (D-ME), known as a centrist Democrat, announced he would retire, citing the shutdown and political dysfunction. His departure leaves Democrats scrambling to defend his Republican-leaning seat.
Others like Reps. Chuy Garcia (D-Ill), Don Bacon (R-NE) and Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) have also announced retirements, largely for family and health reasons, while acknowledging that the ongoing dysfunction adds to the pressure. “The other stuff is obviously frustrating,” Garcia said.
“The gridlock and dysfunction is pushing lawmakers who were already pessimistic about congressional productivity into a state of near despondency,” Axios reported Friday.
As of Wednesday, a record 31 House members had already announced plans to retire or seek other offices, Axios added, a figure likely to rise as mid-decade redistricting and internal party pressures reshuffle the political landscape.
“The whole experience of being in Congress — violence, dysfunction, emasculated authority, polarization, travel, no cost of living increase for nearly 20 years — can make this a truly miserable job," a House Democrat told the outlet.
“To the degree that the shutdown is involved," according to a second House Democrat, "I think it's that it's reflective of dysfunction that makes this job less appealing."