House Democrat Filemon Vela Officially Steps Down Before End of Term

House Democrat Filemon Vela Officially Steps Down Before End of Term
Rep. Filemon Vela (D-Texas) participates in a hearing in Washington on April 4, 2017. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
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Rep. Filemon Vela (D-Texas) has officially stepped down from his seat in the House of Representatives in order to pursue a job in lobbying, further narrowing Democrats’ thin control over the lower chamber.

The announcement of Vela’s resignation was read on the House floor on Thursday evening, and went into effect at midnight on Friday.