Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer, financial services subcommittee chairman, to retire

Jan. 4 (UPI) -- Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer, 71, a Missouri Republican and influential chairman of the Financial Services Subcommittee on National Security, will retire at the end of his term, he announced Thursday.

"It has been an honor to serve the great people of the 3rd Congressional District and State of Missouri these past several years," he posted on social media.

"However, after a lot of thoughtful discussion with my family, I have decided to not file for re-election and retire at the end of my term in December." he said in a post on X, the platform formerly called Twitter.

Luetkemeyer acknowledged the many challenges the country is facing and said in his post that the country's strength comes from the "hearts and homes of its citizens," not from the halls of Congress.

"That assessment is still true today," he continued. "As we look into the future, I believe if we work hard, stay together, and believe in ourselves our best days are indeed still ahead."

While in Congress, Luetkemeyer focused largely on financial policy and was one of the139 Republican representatives who voted against the certification of the 2020 presidential election.

He also a member of the Illicit Finance and International Financial Institutions committees.

He had been seen as a top candidate to replace House Financial Services Committee Chair Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., who has announced that he will not seek reelection.

Luetkemeyer's absence will clear the way for Rep. French Hill, R-Ark., currently vice chair of the Financial Services Committee, to seek the chair if Republicans keep their majority in the House.

Luetkemeyer, who went to Congress in 2009, joins a wave of lawmakers who have announced their intentions not to seek reelection. So far, 25 Democrats have announced their intention to resign or retire, as have 16 Republicans.

Luetkemeyer's 3rd Congressional District includes areas to the north, south and west of St. Louis, and is considered staunchly Republican.

Before being elected to Congress, Luetkemeyer served in the Missouri House of Representatives and was the state's tourism director under former Gov. Matt Blunt.