Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Oklahoma), a former member of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, will retire and leave the Senate at the end of year.

Coburn is battling cancer but said his decision wasn't based on his health. When he was elected in 2004, he said he was only going to serve two terms.

“As a citizen, I am now convinced that I can best serve my own children and grandchildren by shifting my focus elsewhere," Coburn said in a statement.

A physician, Coburn frequently accused the Indian Health Service of providing substandard care and tried to add more money to its budget. At the same time, he set up roadblocks to the reauthorization of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act and voted against the bill before it finally became law as part of the Affordable Care Act.

In a matter affecting his home state, Coburn objected to the nomination of Arno Mikkanen, a member of the Kiowa Tribe of Oklahoma, as a federal judge. The opposition prevented the Senate from moving forward with the pick.

Get the Story:
Oklahoma Sen. Tom Coburn will resign at end of congressional session (The Oklahoman 1/17)
Coburn announces resignation from Senate at end of year (The Tulsa World 1/17)
Coburn to Leave Senate at Year’s End (The New York Times 1/17)
Tom Coburn announces plans to retire (The Washington Post 1/16)