WASHINGTON—House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI), a long-time credit union supporter, announced he is not seeking re-election and will retire from Congress after this year.
"This morning Speaker Ryan shared with his colleagues that this will be his last year as a member of the House," Ryan aide Brendan Buck said in a statement. "He will serve out his full term, run through the tape, and then retire in January. After nearly twenty years in the House, the speaker is proud of all that has been accomplished and is ready to devote more of his time to being a husband and a father."
CUNA President/CEO Jim Nussle offered well-wishes and congratulations to Ryan.
“Speaker Ryan has been a friend to me personally and a friend to credit unions during his time in Congress and while serving as Speaker of the House,” Nussle said. “His intelligence and creativity has served this country and his constituents well since our time in Congress together. His strong sense of credit unions’ mission and purpose, as well as what they do to serve their communities every day helped advance regulatory relief legislation while continuing to protect the credit union tax status.”
Dan Berger, CEO of NAFCU, added, "NAFCU thanks Speaker Paul Ryan for his leadership and for being a friend of credit unions during his time in Congress. We look forward to continuing to work with him for the remainder of this Congress and wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors."
Reports indicate that House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-LA) are top contenders to replace Ryan.