GOP Rep. Doc Hastings to retire at end of year



WASHINGTON -- Rep. Doc Hastings (R-Wash) announced Thursday that he will retire from Congress at the end of the year.

Hastings, a Pasco area native, has served nine terms in congress for Washington state. He has been lauded as a champion for the conservative agenda, and was most recently vehemently opposed to Obamacare.

The 73-year-old Congressman said he wants to retire to spend more time with his family. But he said he will continue to serve Central Washington until his "job is done."

"There are a number of community priorities that I am dedicated to seeing achieved in the months ahead," Hastings said in a release.

Hastings was first elected to Congress in 1994, following time in the Washington state Legislature. He has served on the House National Security Committee and is currently the chairman of the Natural Resources Committee.

He is a graduate of the Columbia Basin College in Pasco.