Nevada Republican Mark Amodei to retire

Rep. Mark Amodei (R-Nev.), the top Republican on the DHS appropriations subcommittee, will not seek reelection to the House this year, he announced Friday.

The eight-term lawmaker is just the latest high-profile Republican to announce plans to retire from Congress in an increasingly murky midterm environment for the GOP.

“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,” he said in a statement. “I look forward to finishing my term.”

Amodei’s 2nd District is Republican-leaning and would likely remain in GOP hands even in a tough year for the party overall. He’s the only Republican in the state’s congressional delegation.

Amodei’s decision comes just three months after President Donald Trump blessed him with a “Complete and Total Endorsement for Re-election” in November. At the time, it appeared he would run again.

“Thank you Mr. President @realDonaldTrump!” Amodei wrote in response.

Just over a week ago, Amodei became the rare Republican to publicly push back against elements of the president’s agenda, when he called for a “pivot” in ICE’s core mission in Minnesota. He also led a DHS funding bill with explicit funding for body cameras to be worn by ICE officials and additional deescalation training for DHS officers.

Amodei has also worked to curtail DHS’ ability to move congressionally appropriated money in this year’s funding bill for the agency, a move he in January conceded could be unpopular with White House officials, including Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.

But momentum toward a federal funding deal for DHS has stalled due to the chaos in Minnesota, and Congress has just days to avert a shutdown affecting the agency.