“Time To Pass The Torch” – House Republican Announces Retirement

Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-FL) on Tuesday announced that he would not seek re-election.

“After 20 years serving Southwest Florida, I’ve decided it’s time to pass the torch and begin a new chapter,” Buchanan said.

“Serving you has been the honor of my lifetime, and I’m deeply grateful for the trust you placed in me,” he added.

After 20 years serving Southwest Florida, I’ve decided it’s time to pass the torch and begin a new chapter.

Serving you has been the honor of my lifetime, and I’m deeply grateful for the trust you placed in me. https://t.co/EaQmmyGrsP pic.twitter.com/78t80GXSgH

— Rep. Vern Buchanan (@VernBuchanan) January 27, 2026

Fox News has more:

Buchanan spent nearly all of his time in Congress as a member of the House Ways & Means Committee, a powerful panel that oversees a variety of issues including tax policy.

He was in contention to chair the committee after Republicans retook the House of Representatives in November 2022 but ultimately lost the gavel to current Chairman Jason Smith, R-Mo.

Since then, Buchanan has served as the committee’s vice chair and chairman of its subcommittee on health.

Before he leaves office, he’s still likely to play a key role as Republicans in Congress eye another “big, beautiful bill” via the budget reconciliation process.

Budget reconciliation allows the party controlling both the House and Senate to pass massive policy overhauls by dropping the Senate’s requirement for passage to be in line with the House’s own simple majority threshold.

Buchanan adds to the substantial list of House Republicans and Democrats not seeking re-election in the 2026 midterms.

28 Republicans and 21 Democrats are not seeking re-election in the lower chamber, Fox News noted.

Roll Call noted:

He was an early proponent of Trump’s “no tax on tips” proposal, which he wrote into legislation with bipartisan support. Ultimately, a version of the plan made it into the final GOP budget reconciliation package, which Republicans dubbed the “One Big, Beautiful Bill.”

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Representing a district with a sizable population of seniors receiving Social Security and Medicare benefits, Buchanan has prioritized preserving those programs and, in some cases, expanding them. He led House passage last year of legislation that would expand Medicare coverage of hospital care at home, for instance.

Early in Trump’s second term, he became a founding member of the House’s “Make America Healthy Again Caucus.” But Buchanan has also been cognizant of the cost of health care, with the U.S. generally spending more on care than other developed countries.

“We’ve just got to find a way together,” he said in December, ahead of the expiration of larger subsidies for Affordable Care Act insurance plans. “It needs a major overhaul. It’s just too expensive. We’re spending over $2 trillion on health care. It’s just out of control.”