Republican Rep. Mark Green, the chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, has announced his retirement after serving just three terms representing Tennessee’s 7th District. This comes as a surprise, as Green had denied rumors of his retirement earlier in the day. Green, a hardliner who was considered for the position of secretary of the Army by Donald Trump, cited his frustration with Congress as the reason for his departure. He expressed his belief that Congress is broken and that making a difference in that environment feels like a lot of effort for little results. Green is a member of the far-right House Freedom Caucus, known for its role in causing dysfunction in Capitol Hill.
The replacement for Green is likely to have similar views, as his constituency strongly supported Donald Trump in the 2016 election. The winner of the upcoming Republican primary on August 1st will be the favorite to succeed Green. The candidate filing deadline is April 4th.
Green, who served as an Army medic in the mission that led to the capture of Saddam Hussein, was elected to the state Senate in 2012. Once in office, he focused on attacking Muslims and LGBTQ+ individuals. He made controversial statements claiming that being transgender is a disease and expressed opposition to teaching the “pillars of Islam” in textbooks. Green’s nomination as the Army’s top civilian official by Donald Trump was withdrawn due to his history of offensive rhetoric.
After dropping out of the race for governor, Green entered the race to replace Rep. Marsha Blackburn and won the general election. He gained attention for promoting a conspiracy theory about the Centers for Disease Control hiding data on a link between vaccines and autism. Despite his controversial statements and actions, Green had no trouble winning reelection.
It is worth noting that Green denied rumors of his retirement earlier in the day. However, his decision to retire after just three terms has surprised many. His departure will likely not lead to significant changes in the district, as his replacement is expected to hold similar views. Green’s retirement highlights the frustration with Congress felt by some lawmakers and the challenges of making a difference in a broken political system.
