Meadows resigns from Congress, heads to White House

Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.) resigned from Congress Monday evening ahead of starting at the White House as President Trump‘s next chief of staff, his office announced in a letter.

Meadows is expected to begin his new role as Trump’s fourth chief of staff on Tuesday.

“I write today to inform you that I will resign from the House of Representatives, effective 5:00 p.m. Monday, March 30,” he wrote in a letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.). “Serving the people of North Carolina’s eleventh congressional district for these last seven years has been the honor of my life. I will forever be grateful for the opportunity.”

Mark Meadows resigned from Congress today effective 5:00pm. Below is the letter notifying Speaker Pelosi. First day as White House Chief of Staff tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/1IUCO48AWC

— Ben Williamson (@_WilliamsonBen) March 30, 2020

Meadows will replace his former colleague and Freedom Caucus member, Mick Mulvaney, who served in the role for a little more than a year. Trump named Meadows as his next gatekeeper in a tweet earlier this month, in which he also announced that he would appoint Mulvaney as U.S. special envoy for Northern Ireland. 

The staff shakeup also comes after the White House faced a monthlong period of scrambling to respond to the coronavirus pandemic, which has reached more than 155,00 cases in the U.S. and 2,500 deaths as of Monday evening, according to a New York Times database. 

Trump has come under scrutiny for initially downplaying the outbreak at a time when the administration could have been preparing for the pandemic by seeking key equipment and supplies.

All eyes will be on Meadows as he steps into this new role, though many of his now former House colleagues said Meadows will be effective at the White House, pointing to his close relationship with Trump that has grown over the years.