"It's kind of like the announcement of a death," Cramer said.
Rep. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) came out teary-eyed and started choking up when asked what he thought of Boehner's resignation. Cramer said that Boehner recited the prayer of Saint Francis when announcing his resignation to House Republicans Friday morning.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) praised Boehner on the Senate floor Friday.
“He is an ally. He is a friend. And he took over as Republican leader at a difficult time for his party," he said.
Also speaking on the floor of the Senate, Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) lauded Boehner, but blamed his departure on the state of the Republican party.
"By ousting a good man like Speaker Boehner -- someone who understood the art of compromise -- the party of Eisenhower and Reagan is no more," he said.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi called Boehner's resignation "seismic," adding that it was "a stark indication of the disarray of the House Republicans."
Rep. Tim Huelskamp (R-Kan.) said that Boehner had resigned because he knew that he could lose his position.
"There's no question conservatives had a victory here," he said. Huelskamp is a member of the House Freedom Caucus, the group that was trying to oust Boehner.
But Rep. John Shimkus (R-Ill.) said that Boehner was sacrificing his position for the good of the conference. "I think that following the pope's visit -- this is sacrificial love on his behalf to strengthen the Republican conference. It's really amazing and unheard of in modern-day politics," he said.
Asked about the resignation, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) skipped over the pleasantries and went straight to criticizing Boehner -- without naming him -- and McConnell for making promises to conservatives and not keeping them.
The speaker had been facing growing opposition within his own party
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