Newt Gingrich: More Than 30 House Democrats Will Retire Seats

House Speaker Newt Gingrich said Monday he agrees with House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy that more than 30 of the chamber's Democrats could retire before the year is out, considering the constraints lawmakers are under. 

"First of all, the House under Nancy Pelosi is not a very happy place, with all the COVID restrictions, all the voting by absentee, all the different things they are doing, the masking, the police requirements," Gingrich said on Fox News' "Fox and Friends." "Members get corrected walking on the floor. I walked on the floor recently and I was astonished that to get on the floor of the House, you go through sort of a TSA system with a policeman watching you, as though you are some subservient person who is a danger to your colleagues."

He added that he thinks Democrats are looking forward and are concerned about being in the minority. 

His comments come after McCarthy, R-Calif., told Fox News this weekend that in 2010, when Republicans won the majority, 17 Democrats retired, but now, there are already 25 on the way out and he thinks the number will climb to over 30 "because they see what the future holds."

McCarthy this weekend also said Republicans are looking to secure the border, and Gingrich said he's glad the minority leader "transferred immediately to real issues, real substance."

"Controlling the border is a big, big deal," Gingrich said. "[Immigrants] weren't checked for COVID or criminal records. They could be in your neighborhood and you have no idea.

"The Biden administration is shipping people around the country. But it's deeper than that. We had 100,000 people die last year from drug overdoses. We have an amazing number, a tragic number of suicides. We have a mental health problem that exhibits itself in homeless towns."

He added that he believes that under the leadership of McCarthy as House speaker, "the Republicans are going to have serious hearings looking at the big issues that affect our lives, as well as going through the stuff you have to do just to uncover all the bad stuff the Democrats did. I think you have got to have both things."

• Dems Switching Gears Ahead of 2022 Midterms: But It Won't Work
• Three More House Democrats Announce Their Retirement