Boehner to leave as Congress confronts intractable issues

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Speaker John Boehner says he had planned to resign at the end of last year but stayed on because he feared a leadership shakeup would create too much turmoil for House Republicans.

[...] he's stepping down at the end of October, when Congress could once again be scrambling to avert a looming government shutdown, the loss of federal funding for thousands of highway projects and an unprecedented government default.

Boehner announced his resignation Friday amid growing discontent among some of the most conservative members of the House Republican conference.

[...] Boehner said, his new plan was to leave at the end of this year.

Boehner said he told House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, the No. 2 House Republican, about two minutes before he addressed a closed-door meeting of House Republicans Friday morning.

While insisting the decision is up to fellow Republicans, Boehner declared that "Kevin McCarthy would make an excellent speaker."

Boehner was first elected to the House in 1990 and was part of former Speaker Newt Gingrich's leadership team when Republicans took over the House in 1995.

The Senate is scheduled to hold a procedural vote Monday on a bill to fund the government — including money for Planned Parenthood — into December.

Boehner also announced plans to schedule a vote on a government funding bill that includes money for Planned Parenthood before Wednesday's midnight deadline.