Democratic Rep. Brian Higgins (NY) announced Sunday his departure from Congress before the end of his current term due to dissatisfaction with the current state of politics in the nation.

“It’s just a time for change, and I think this is the time,” Higgins, 64, said at a news conference. He said he plans to leave office during the first week of February, ahead of the end of his term in January 2025.

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“Congress is not the institution that I went to 19 years ago. It’s a very different place today,” Higgins added. “We’re spending more time doing less. And the American people aren’t being served.”

Higgins' announcement comes as other members of Congress have recently said they would not seek reelection next year. Rep. Brad Wenstrup (R-OH) said he wouldn't seek reelection last week.

While Higgins was expected to not run for reelection, he previously wasn't clear about ending his term early. The abrupt announcement of Higgins' departure is likely to tee up a special election in the spring for the 26th Congressional District, part of Erie and Niagara counties, which leans heavily Democratic.

“When I went to Congress 19 years ago, I didn’t go to change the world,” Higgins told Buffalo News. “I went with the plan of changing my community. And I think that’s what we have done, along with the extraordinarily talented people that work with me and have worked with me individually and collectively.”

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Higgins handled his career in Washington relatively quietly, with an emphasis on bettering the city of Buffalo's future.

One of his biggest accomplishments was a $279 million settlement with the New York Power Authority that raised money for Buffalo's waterfront revival, which the representative encouraged despite opposition during his first term after he was elected in 2004.