Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Okla., officially announced his retirement Friday, setting the stage for another Republican to replace the Army veteran as the party's top lawmaker on the Senate Armed Services Committee.
Inhofe said in a press release that he plans to step down before 2023, citing a desire to spend more time with his wife, Kay, and their family.
"It is bittersweet, but with a clear heart, that Kay and I announce that at the end of the year, I will retire from the United States Senate," Inhofe said. "Throughout our years, there has been one constant -- making the world safer and better for our 20 kids and grandkids and the next generation of Oklahomans."
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Inhofe has played an influential role in America's defense policy with upward of 30 years' experience on the House and Senate Armed Services Committees in Washington.
The Oklahoman took over as acting chairman of the committee in late 2017 when then-Sen. John McCain was battling cancer, and officially stepped into the role after the Arizona senator's death in 2018.
Inhofe's time as chairman came to an end in 2021 when Democrats took back the majority in the Senate, but he still held immense influence as the committee's ranking member.
The Army veteran has been consistently ranked as one of the most conservative members of the Senate, and has pushed for Republican-backed policies in the military and an increase in defense spending.
As the acting chairman, Inhofe was instrumental in passing the $716 billion National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal 2019, which authorized a 2.6% military pay raise and increased the active-duty forces by more than 15,000 service members.
After becoming the ranking member last year under Democratic control of the committee, Inhofe was a vocal critic of President Joe Biden and assertively questioned the chaos surrounding the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.
"What we've seen in Afghanistan has been nothing short of a disaster," Inhofe said this past September. "We have a hard time finding words properly to describe how wrong that was, and we want to know why -- we still want to know why President Biden left hundreds of Americans behind."
In an interview with The Oklahoman on Friday, Inhofe endorsed his chief of staff, Luke Holland, to replace him and promised to campaign for him before the Republican primary.
Inhofe said he still wants to focus on defense policy in the waning days of his term.
"Today's announcement is not the end of the road," Inhofe said. "I have work yet to do for Oklahomans over these next nine months, including passing the National Defense Authorization Act and holding the Biden administration accountable."
Inhofe's retirement paves the way for a former Air Force officer, Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., to become the ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and he could end up chairing the committee if Republicans retake the Senate in the midterm elections later this year.
Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said in a press release that Inhofe's presence on the committee will be missed, but added he was grateful for the politician's service.
"I know the Inhofes will be glad to have more time with their consummate family man," said McConnell. "And while the Senate will miss one of its foremost experts on defense policy, I am glad our friend will continue to serve with us through the end of this Congress."
-- Thomas Novelly can be reached at thomas.novelly@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @TomNovelly.
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