Clerk of the House Cheryl Johnson announced she will resign at the end of the month, after serving in her post since 2019.
“It has been a distinct privilege to serve as clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives during three Congresses and an honor to have been first nominated by Speaker Pelosi and then renominated by you to serve in the 118th Congress,” Johnson said Thursday in the House chamber, addressing Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.).
McCarthy accepted her resignation and announced his appointment of Kevin McCumber to act and exercise the duties of the clerk. McCarthy then administered McCumber’s oath of office.
Johnson’s resignation will be effective at the end of day June 30, and McCumber will assume the post July 1.
After she delivered her announcement, members of the House stood to applaud Johnson, whose tenure as House Clerk has included two impeachment proceedings, the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, and the tumultuous weeklong Speaker vote this January.
Despite already serving for several years, Johnson particularly gained national attention during the weeklong Speaker vote series. As House Republicans struggled to elect a Speaker, Johnson presided over the chamber and was tasked with keeping order while the House had no leader.
The House also had not passed rules yet for the session, so Johnson had flexibility to enforce order as she saw fit — and frequently had to prevent members from descending into chaos while tensions only increased throughout the week.
She was the fourth woman and second Black person in the role. She earned a law degree from Howard University before working for the Smithsonian Institution for a decade.
In January, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (N.Y.) called Johnson “a historic figure in her own right” and said she was “doing a very good job under difficult circumstances.”