The Courage to Leave

Washington rewards ambition - but it’s humility that sustains democracy.

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Today, I’m letting my time as a Congressional staffer come out to play. Don’t worry, this isn’t another government shutdown piece. No, we’re taking on one of the quieter dramas of D.C. politics - the kind that rarely makes front-page news, but says a lot about how the federal government actually works (or doesn’t).

Put on your swamp boots and campaign hats, kids. We’re going politickin’.

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Last week, two notable Members of Congress announced that they wouldn’t seek re-election: Representative Jodey Arrington, a Republican from Texas, and former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat from California. At first glance, these two couldn’t be more different. Arrington is a rock-ribbed conservative from rural West Texas, while Pelosi is a dyed-in-the-wool liberal from San Francisco. But they share one key similarity: both hold seats that are virtually impossible to lose.

For all intents and purposes, Arrington could have held his seat forever. Texas’ 19th District is as safely Republican as they come. In 2024, he won over 80% of the vote, no Democrat even bothered to run, and he’d just received an endorsement from President Trump for 2026. Pelosi, meanwhile, did hold her seat forever, nearly forty years. After her first election in 1987, she never dropped below 68% of the vote. For decades, she dominated one of the bluest districts in the country and became one of the most powerful figures in modern American politics.

And yet, despite having the kind of political security most Members of Congress can only dream of, Arrington decided to walk away. In announcing his decision, he said, “I have a firm conviction, much like our founders did, that public service is a lifetime commitment, but public office is and should be a temporary stint in stewardship, not a career.” It’s a simple statement, but one that cuts against nearly everything Washington has become. In a town built on ambition, willingly walking away from power is a rarity.

Of course, there could be other factors at play. Maybe it’s health. Maybe he’s simply burned out. Maybe he’s got a lucrative private-sector opportunity lined up, or maybe he’s reading the tea leaves and wants to step away before the political winds shift. All of those possibilities exist, and time will tell which, if any, are true.

But for now, I’m inclined to take him at his word. After all, Arrington isn’t exactly walking away in obscurity. He’s the sitting Chairman of the House Budget Committee, a high-ranking member of the governing majority, and was a key player in shaping fiscal policy as the literal author of President Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill Act.” This isn’t some backbencher with a podcast and a social media addiction. Arrington is stepping down relatively early into what appears to be a highly successful tenure in Washington, and that makes his decision - and the principle behind it - worth noting.

Pelosi’s departure, on the other hand, reflects a different sort of ending, one that has less to do with ideology and more to do with inevitability.