Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-OH) holds his speakers gavel. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

John Boehner announced that he’s resigning from Congress, and he plans to give up not only his embattled position as Speaker but his seat in Congress. He will step down in October.

Details are few, but the news has been reported by The New York Times and The Associated Press.

The Times notes that Boehner was under extreme pressure from the right wing over whether or not to defund Planned Parenthood as a part of a bill to keep the government open. But it’s a little baffling:

And right up until yesterday Boehner’s office said he wasn’t going anywhere:

A Boehner aide spoke to The Hill about the decision:

“Speaker Boehner believes that the first job of any Speaker is to protect this institution and, as we saw yesterday with the Holy Father, it is the one thing that unites and inspires us all,” a Boehner aide said.

The aide said Boehner had only been planning to serve through the end of last year, but decided to stay on after then-House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) suffered a stunning primary loss.

“The Speaker believes putting members through prolonged leadership turmoil would do irreparable damage to the institution,” the aide said.

“He is proud of what this majority has accomplished, and his Speakership, but for the good of the Republican Conference and the institution, he will resign the Speakership and his seat in Congress, effective October 30.”

In a recent profile in Politico this week, he compared his job to being a garbage man:

“Garbage men get used to the smell of bad garbage. Prisoners learn how to become prisoners, all right?” Boehner said in a phone interview this weekend from Seattle during a fundraising trip to the Pacific Northwest, referring especially to the grind of constant travel. “You can teach yourself to do anything, especially if you’re committed to a cause. I came to Washington to fight for a smaller, less costly and more accountable government.”

People on Capitol Hill say they’re shocked and stunned:

Politico says that this move will allow Boehner to keep the government open without defunding Planned Parenthood:

Now that he doesn’t have internal political considerations to weigh, Boehner is certain to push through a government-funding bill next week that funds Planned Parenthood, and keeps the government open.

NPR says that Boehner seemed “relaxed and content” last night, and he assured a diner that the government would not shut down.

Anyway, we’re going to do our best not to cry this one out: