Rep. Filemon Vela (D-Texas) has officially stepped down from his seat in the House of Representatives in order to pursue a job in lobbying, further narrowing Democrats’ thin control over the lower chamber. The announcement of Vela’s resignation was read on the House floor on Thursday evening, and went into effect at midnight on Friday. Vela, who was first elected to Texas’ 34th congressional district in 2012, will take a lobbying job with Akin Gump, the largest lobbying firm in the United States. “The timing now, with just nine months left in the term,” Vela told Forbes. “I’m just ready to go.” Vela has been planning to leave Congress for some time. In January, he filed papers with the House Ethics Committee recusing himself from all matters related to Akin Gump. Though Vela’s impending retirement has been long in coming, the swiftness with which he decided to leave office has …