United States: Ken Buck, US Representative, has announced that he will leave Congress at the end of next week. Buck previously confirmed that he would not seek re-election.
Republican Representative said in a statement that, “It has been an honour to serve the people of Colorado’s 4th District in Congress for the past 9 years. I want to thank them for their support and encouragement through the years.”
Buck’s resignation will directly affect House Speaker Mike Johnson’s majority. Republicans would lose just two members of the conference if there was a party-line vote on the legislation because of his withdrawal. Ken Buck stated that he wanted to be involved in the political process and spend more time in Colorado and with his family. However, he did not explain why he did not serve his full term.
Buck was among the eight Republicans who voted to remove Kevin McCarthy from his position as Speaker. He cited dissatisfaction with how McCarthy managed spending issues as the reason for his vote. McCarthy eventually resigned from Congress at the end of last year. Johnson replaced McCarthy as Speaker with Buck’s support.
The Congressman went against his party’s stance on a few subjects, such as their false claims about the 2020 election and the attack on the US Capitol in January 2021. Buck was sharply critical of his party’s handling of both points when he announced last November that he would not seek a sixth term.
“These insidious narratives breed widespread cynicism and erode Americans’ confidence in the rule of law. It is impossible for the Republican Party to confront our problems and offer a course correction for the future while being obsessively fixated on retribution and vengeance for contrived injustices of the past,” Buck stated.
The US politician expressed scepticism about the House impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden and voted against the House impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. Buck’s announcement came during a time of significant House retirements, including high-profile GOP exits such as Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Kay Granger, China Select Committee Chairman Mike Gallagher, and Energy and Commerce Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers.
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