Paul Ryan begs House Republicans not to resign as his allies drop like flies: report

With many of his biggest power players resigning, House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) may be losing his grip on the lower Congressional chamber.

According to Politico, the planned resignation of Rep. Pat Tiberi (R-OH) is just the latest in a "flurry" of retirements among House Republicans. Though Tiberi is leaving Congress in January for a private sector job, many others have announced retirements based explicitly or implicitly on President Donald Trump's role in making their jobs even more difficult.

Take, for example, Rep. Dave Trott (R-MI), whose July fuming about the circus surrounding then-White House Press Secretary Anthony Scaramucci was drawing attention away the party's attempts to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. Six weeks later, Politico notes, Trott announced his retirement after that Obamacare overhaul failed.

Rep. Charlie Dent (R-PA) cites a lack of legislative wins as the impetus for his retirement.

"It’s very difficult to achieve big-ticket items, not to mention just accomplish the basic items of governance — keeping the government open or not defaulting on our obligations — so that’s a source of frustration for me," the moderate Republican leader told Politico.

According to the report, two representatives have announced their resignations, seven have said they're retiring, and 10 others are running for higher office.

According to one senior House Republican, these resignations and retirements put House Republican leadership in an even more dire position.

“It’s put the pressure on us all to stick together when our closest allies are [running for] the exits," the official said.

The report also notes that Ryan "implored" House Budget Chairwoman Diane Black (R-TN) as she considered running for governor of Tennessee, in part to "help him hash out a budget agreement with the Senate," sources familiar with the conversation told Politico.