Under fire from House GOP, Boehner drops resignation bombshell

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• JUDY WOODRUFF:

  On this day, when a pope and two presidents were already making headlines, a surprise resignation came along to stun Washington.

  We begin with the announcement that the speaker of the United States House of Representatives is stepping down.

  NewsHour political director Lisa Desjardins reports.

• REP. JOHN BOEHNER (R-OH), Speaker of the House (singing):

  Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, my, oh, my, what a wonderful day.

• LISA DESJARDINS:

  With his decision, House Speaker John Boehner, the happy warrior, projected a kind of personal relief and institutional sacrifice.

• REP. JOHN BOEHNER:

  It's become clear to me that this prolonged leadership turmoil would do irreparable harm to the institution. So, this morning, I informed my colleagues that I would resign from the speakership and resign from Congress at the end of October. Now, as you have often heard me say, this isn't about me.

• LISA DESJARDINS:

  In fact, it had become about him, at least in part. Boehner was again under fire from Tea Party Republicans pushing to defund Planned Parenthood, even if it means closing the government. They'd threatened a floor vote to try to strip him of the speakership.

• REP. JOHN BOEHNER:

  There was never any doubt about whether I could survive the vote, but I don't want my members to have to go through this.

• LISA DESJARDINS:

  The Ohio Republican said he'd planned to resign at the end of this year anyway, after five years as speaker and midway through his 13th term.

  But his bombshell left House supporters lamenting their loss.

  REP. STEVE STIVERS (R), Ohio: I think he has always been the adult in the room and tried to do what he thinks is right, even if it is not in his best political interest.

• LISA DESJARDINS:

  Boehner's counterpart in the Senate, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, praised the speaker's legacy.

  SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY), Majority Leader: He is an ally; he's a friend. And he took over as Republican leader at a very difficult time for his party.

• LISA DESJARDINS:

  At the White House, the nation's top Democrat offered his own measured praise for a man who'd opposed most of his agenda.

• PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA:

  He is somebody who has been gracious, and I think, maybe most importantly, he's somebody who understands that, in government, in governance, you don't always get 100 percent of what you want.

• LISA DESJARDINS:

  But at a conservative summit in Washington, when Senator Marco Rubio brought up the speaker:

  SEN. MARCO RUBIO (R-FL), Presidential Candidate: Just a few minutes ago, Speaker Boehner announced that he will be resigning.

  (CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

• LISA DESJARDINS:

  The crowd cheered.

  Back at the Capitol, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi called the resignation seismic and symbolic of problems in Boehner's party.

  REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA), House Minority Leader: That resignation of the speaker is a stark indication of the disarray of the House Republicans, a demonstration of their obsession with shutting down government at the expense of women's health.

• LISA DESJARDINS:

  Now, the focus turns to the new Republican leadership races, with Boehner's number two, Kevin McCarthy of California, an early candidate to replace him as speaker.

  Many, like Georgia's Lynn Westmoreland, are contemplating whether to run for other leadership spots, but are unsure what the changes will mean.

  Do you think a different speaker would produce a different outcome for House Republicans?

  REP. LYNN WESTMORELAND (R), Georgia: No, I think the outcome is going to be the same.

• LISA DESJARDINS:

  The leadership elections are expected to take place November 1.

• JUDY WOODRUFF:

  We will get more insight into what drove Boehner's decision and how it's being received in just a moment.