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May 31 (UPI) -- Rep. Chris Stewart, R-Utah, said Wednesday he will resign from Congress in order to care for his ailing wife. Stewart, 62, did not specify exactly when he will step down, but that could be as soon as this week, the Salt Lake Tribune reported.
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"It's been one of the great honors of my life to represent Utah in the People's House," Stewart said in an official statement.
The six-term House Representative has represented Utah's 2nd Congressional District since 2013 and sits on the House Intelligence Committee and the House Appropriations Committee, both of which are high-profile.
Utah Gov. Spencer James Cox will need to call a special election and primary to fill the vacant House seat once Stewart's resignation is official.
Before entering politics, Stewart served as a pilot in the U.S. Air Force, where he flew the B-1 Lancer supersonic heavy bomber for years.
"I can say with pride that I have been an effective leader for my beloved home state, and I'm honored to have played an important role in guiding our nation through some troubled times. But my wife's health concerns have made it necessary that I retire from Congress after an orderly transition can be ensured," Stewart said in the statement, declining to elaborate on his wife's condition.
The couple has six children.
His departure will temporarily weaken the current House majority.
"You've got to understand why he's doing this -- it's the character of who he is, it's because of his wife and taking care of his wife," House Speaker Kevin McCarthy told FOX News during an interview Wednesday, adding Stewart informed him Tuesday of the decision.
"It's the decision everybody should make at that time. He has sacrificed, his family has sacrificed, but at this moment right now his spouse needs him. So he's made that decision. It was not an easy decision for him. But we will continue to hold that seat."
