BREAKING: Adam Schiff Resigns From The House of Representatives

It’s official…Adam Schiff just submitted his resignation to the U.S. House of Representatives.

Take a look:

10:52:36 a.m. – The House received a communication from Representative Schiff wherein he resigns as a member of the House of Representatives effective on December 8, 2024. https://t.co/ZcqIY06C4r

— U.S. House Updates (@HouseFloor) December 6, 2024

See the moment here:

BREAKING: Adam Schiff Resigns From House Effective December 8

California Senator-elect Adam Schiff submits his resignation to the U.S. House, effective December 8.

He will be sworn in as senator on Monday December 9 along with Andy Kim of New Jersey. pic.twitter.com/zlSn1swy00

— Melissa Hallman (@dotconnectinga) December 6, 2024

The official letter of resignation:

But don’t get too excited.

He’s not leaving Congress….

We could only be so lucky.

No, he is resigning from the House so he can take his Senate seat early.

You may recall he won the Senate seat in a contest against former MLB star Steve Garvey:

Adam Schiff became a United States Senator-elect from California after defeating Steve Garvey, a former Major League baseball player, in the 2024 California Senate race. Here are the key details surrounding his transition to the Senate:

Elected vs. Appointed: Adam Schiff was elected to the U.S. Senate. He won the election for the seat previously held by the late Senator Dianne Feinstein.
Election Date: The election took place on November 5, 2024.
Term Start Date: Schiff’s term as a Senator begins in December 2024, following his resignation from the U.S. House of Representatives, which was effective December 8, 2024. This early transition to the Senate was to gain seniority over others in the Senate class of 2024, as he is succeeding an appointed U.S. Senator.

Campaign and Background: Schiff, a Burbank Democrat, had been a U.S. Representative since 2001 and gained national prominence for his role in the first impeachment of Donald Trump. His campaign focused on protecting democracy, fighting for economic improvements, and working across the aisle for California’s interests.
Resignation: Schiff resigned from his position in Congress to take up his new role in the Senate, which was noted on social media and news outlets. His resignation was effective December 8, 2024, allowing him to be sworn in as a Senator on December 9, 2024.

So you might be wondering why is Schiff allowed to start his term early compared to all other incoming Senators?

It’s because he ran in a Special Election to fill Dianne Feinstein’s vacant seat:

Special Election Context: Schiff won both the special election to fill the remainder of the late Senator Dianne Feinstein’s term and the regular election for a full Senate term starting in January 2025. The special election was for the remaining few months of Feinstein’s term, which would have ended in January 2025.

ADVERTISEMENT

Senate Rules on Seniority: Traditionally, when a Senator is elected to fill out an unexpired term (like in a special election), they can be sworn in immediately, rather than waiting for the start of the new Congress in January. This practice gives the new Senator a head start on seniority over others who might be elected for terms starting in January. However, while this gives Schiff an early start, the Senate changed its rules in 1980 so that this early service does not count towards seniority for committee assignments and other privileges, which are based on the start date of the full term, i.e., January 3, 2025.

Immediate Swearing-In: Therefore, Schiff resigned his House seat and was sworn in as a Senator in December 2024 to serve out the remainder of Feinstein’s term, which ends in January 2025. This move allows him to begin his Senate career early, but it does not confer any additional seniority for the new Congress term starting in January.

Sorry folks, he’s gone from the House but we’ll still be seeing plenty of him in the Senate.