House Budget Committee Chairman Jodey Arrington (R-Texas) announced his retirement from Congress this week, marking the end of nearly a decade of service and capping his career with what he called one of his proudest achievements — helping pass President Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful bill.”
Arrington, who has represented his West Texas district since 2017, told *Fox News Digital* that after nearly ten years in Washington, he believes it’s time to pass the torch. “I am adamant, like our Founding Fathers, that public service should not be considered a profession, but a short-term stint of stewardship,” Arrington said. “It just seemed like the right and good place to end it.”
He leaves Congress on a high note, having served as a key architect of several major conservative budget and fiscal reforms under the Trump Administration. As chairman of the House Budget Committee, Arrington helped lead negotiations that paved the way for Trump’s signature legislation — a sweeping fiscal reform package he described as “a generational opportunity to restore the people’s mandate.”
“I had the chance to chair the Budget Committee for almost ten years and lead the effort to pass the budget and help the President fulfill the mandate of the people,” Arrington said. “It was an opportunity to make a generational difference.”
Arrington, known for his plain-spoken Texas style, said that beyond policy, his proudest legacy was changing the culture in Congress — particularly in how lawmakers view the heartland. “I am most proud to have changed the cultural and narrative in Congress,” he said. “I am from a rural area, and I can say that raising awareness among suburban and urban members about the challenges and contributions rural America makes — from food security to energy independence — and how the country depends on these cowboys and plow boys in rural areas — is something I’m very proud of.”
Throughout his tenure, Arrington championed fiscal responsibility, calling the national debt “the curse of our generation” and warning that both parties have too often lacked the will to confront runaway spending. “For years I’ve been preaching fiscal restraint — the reversal of the curse that is the national debt,” he said. “The President is committed, and he speaks about it constantly. It’s not that he’s making politically popular choices, but rather very difficult ones. It’s all about the political will. Trump is doing it. Mike Johnson has committed himself to this… We have an increasing number of fiscal hawks that are extremely resolute on the issue.”
Arrington made clear that he does not plan to coast through the remainder of his term. He intends to introduce another budget reconciliation measure to complement Trump’s fiscal package. “I don’t even know the location of Senate Republicans. I don’t even know the location of the White House. But the House is ready,” he said. “It’s our most important tool for supporting the President and the strength and stability of the nation, and I see no reason why we shouldn’t use it fully.”
The Lubbock-born lawmaker, who has been a steady voice for conservative economic reform, has not yet announced his next move but hinted that public service will remain part of his future. “I’m not finished fighting,” Arrington said. “I plan to pursue a new challenge in leadership — one that will allow me to have the greatest impact on as many people as possible.”
His departure marks another high-profile retirement in a season of political transition on Capitol Hill, but unlike others stepping down amid frustration or scandal, Arrington leaves on his own terms — satisfied with his record and confident that a new generation of conservatives will carry on the fight for fiscal sanity and America’s economic strength.
