Republican Representative Mark Green from Tennessee announced his decision to retire from the House after serving only three terms, citing his belief that the legislative branch of the country is severely flawed. He made this statement on Wednesday.

Green was in charge of the impeachment proceedings against Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Tuesday, as reported by Axios. In a later announcement to his constituents in west-central Tennessee and beyond, he revealed his plans to retire at the end of the upcoming year due to the dysfunction he perceives in both houses of Congress.

Green said, “Our country — and our Congress — is broken beyond most means of repair. I have come to realize our fight is not here within Washington, our fight is with Washington.

“As I have done my entire life, I will continue serving this country — but in a new capacity.”

In an extensive declaration published on his official congressional website, the House Committee on Homeland Security’s chairman elaborated on his concerns regarding the current state of Congress. Green asserted that he had reached the conclusion that the nation’s founding fathers did not envision legislators pursuing lifelong careers in government.

“At the start of the 118th Congress, I promised my constituents to pass legislation to secure our borders and to hold Secretary Mayorkas accountable. Today, with the House having passed H.R. 2 and Secretary Mayorkas impeached, it is time for me to return home.

“In the last few months, in reading the writings of our Framers, I was reminded of their intent for representatives to be citizen-legislators, to serve for a season and then return home.”

Green gained attention recently for criticizing Mayorkas for failing to secure the border with Mexico during the initial impeachment attempt. According to Forbes, Green called the DHS secretary a “reptile with no balls” during a private GOP House meeting. A spokesperson for Green verified that he did use that language to describe Mayorkas. Green did not express regret for his comments and ultimately spearheaded the successful impeachment of the DHS secretary on Tuesday.

Version 1: Green attracted media coverage for his criticism of Mayorkas regarding the border closure with Mexico during the first impeachment attempt. As per Forbes, Green referred to the DHS secretary as a “reptile with no balls” in a closed-door GOP House meeting. A representative for Green confirmed the accuracy of the statement. Green did not apologize for his remarks and ultimately led the successful impeachment of the DHS head on Tuesday.