Rep. Mark Amodei of Nevada announced Friday that he will retire from Congress at the end of his term, joining dozens of other Republican lawmakers headed for the exits.
“I came to Congress to solve problems and to make sure our State and Nation have strong voice in the federal policy and oversight processes,” Amodei said in a statement posted to X. “After 15 years of service, I believe it is the right time for Nevada and myself to pass the torch.”
Amodei’s district, Nevada’s 2nd, is rated safe by Cook Political Report for the Republican Party in 2026. The district is so reliably red that Amodei did not face a Democratic challenger in 2024.
But Amodei’s announcement is the latest in a slew of retirements by prominent House Republican lawmakers, including Budget Committee Chair Jodey Arrington and former Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Michael McCaul. Following sudden departures and a death in his conference, Speaker Mike Johnson is currently holding onto his majority by just four seats and has dealt with many members breaking from the party line on key issues.
Trending
Fifty-one House members have announced they’re not running for reelection in 2026, an uptick from the 45 that did not run in 2024. Republicans’ 30 retirements so far are outpacing Democrats’ 21. More than a dozen Republicans are not seeking reelection in the House to run for higher office.
Amodei has been noncommittal about his reelection plans since at least December. When NOTUS asked Amodei at that time whether he was running again, he responded, “Ask me in 60 days.”
Amodei serves as chair of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security, placing him in a key role as Congress continues to debate funding the Department of Homeland Security while all other funding bills have passed.
Many lawmakers have told NOTUS that DHS is the hardest department to fund. Amodei had doubts a funding bill for the department could make it over the finish line for this fiscal year, telling NOTUS in November that his bill would likely need a continuing resolution — a prediction that came true when the Jan. 30 funding deadline hit, though Amodei said he and his staff worked over the holiday recess to try to get the bill into shape.
After a second U.S. citizen was shot and killed by immigration enforcement agents in Minnesota, Amodei told The Nevada Independent that DHS operations need to “pivot.”
Authors
