
Sen. Thad Cochran (R-Miss.), chairman of the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee and huge advocate for shipbuilding, will retire April 1 due to ailing health, the 81 year-old lawmaker said Monday.“I regret my health has become an ongoing challenge,” Cochran wrote in a press release that hit the wires late Monday. “I intend to fulfill my responsibilities and commitments to the people of Mississippi and the Senate through the completion of the 2018 appropriations cycle, after which I will formally retire…