On the campaign trail, President Donald Trump pledged over and over to “drain the swamp,” promising to gut what he said was a gridlocked Washington political establishment.

His supporters chanted the catchy slogan at rallies and kept doing so at Trump events even after the reality television figure moved into the White House.

Trump offered few details on how he would do the draining, and faced criticism for stocking his Cabinet and administration with many of the same political types he had disavowed.

But the retirements of several House and Senate Republicans might be having the same effect, by clearing out some of the more familiar characters in Washington.

Some members say their decision to leave Congress is in part due to frustrations with an administration belonging to their own party. Others say politics has gotten too ugly.