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Hanging Up the Gloves: Longest Serving Republican in US Senate Retires

© AP Photo / Evan VucciSenate Finance Committee Chairman Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah gives an opening remark on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, April 21, 2015
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah gives an opening remark on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, April 21, 2015 - Sputnik International
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WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - Orrin Hatch, the longest serving Republican in the US Senate, announced his retirement in a video statement via Twitter on Tuesday.

“I was an amateur boxer in my youth and I brought that fighting spirit to Washington," Hatch said. "But every good boxer knows when to hang up the gloves. After much prayer and deliberation with family and friends I have decided to retire at the end of this term.”

Hatch, 83, served in the US Senate for 42 years. His resignation comes amid widespread speculation that former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney could run for Hatch's Senate seat.

U.S. President Donald Trump displays his signature after signing the $1.5 trillion tax overhaul plan along with a short-term government spending bill in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, U.S - Sputnik International
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According to US media reports, Orrin Hatch was under constant pressure by US President Donald Trump because it was assumed Hatch would seek reelection, blocking the way for the return of fellow Republican and former presidential candidate Mitt Romney.

The veteran US senator decided to retire just weeks after Trump signed a massive tax overhaul bill, legislation that capped Hatch's long career. Hatch actively assisted in the writing of the tax plan as chair of the Senate Finance Committee.

The senator also played a key role in reducing the size of the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments in the US state of Utah.

 

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