Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer, R-MO, a senior member of the House Financial Services Committee, on Thursday announced he will retire at the end of the year.
“[A]fter a lot of thoughtful discussion with my family, I have decided to not file for re-election and retire at the end of my term in December,” he said in a statement. “Over the coming months, as I finish up my last term, I look forward to continuing to work with all my constituents on their myriad of issues as well as work on the many difficult and serious problems confronting our great country. There is still a lot to do.”
Luetkemeyer’s exit brings uncertainty as to who might replace Rep. Patrick McHenry as chair of the committee.
Luetkemeyer, an eight-term congressman, had been seen as a strong contender to replace McHenry, after the North Carolina Republican announced last month that he would not run for reelection.
Luetkemeyer, who chairs the Financial Services subcommittee on national security, had expressed interest in the position following McHenry’s announcement, according to Politico.
Other senior GOP lawmakers who could vie for the role include Rep. Frank Lucas of Oklahoma, Rep. Bill Huizenga of Michigan and Rep. Andy Barr of Kentucky.
“That committee has an embarrassment of riches when it comes to talented lawmakers and potential leaders,” House Budget Chair Jodey Arrington, R-TX, told Politico last month. “That’s going to be quite a competition.”
Another front-runner, Rep. French Hill, R-AR, a senior panel member with a commercial banking background, has also expressed interest in the role.
“I’ve spent 40 years in that arena, both in the capital markets and in commercial banking,” Hill told Bloomberg last month. “And if my colleagues wanted me to take on that task, that’d be great.”
During his time on the House Financial Services Committee, Luetkemeyer criticized what he has called the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s “unchecked power.”
He has also voiced support for ushering in reform on the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. board, after a power struggle pitted the board’s Democratic members against former Trump-appointed FDIC Chair Jelena McWilliams.
