Why is Ken Buck leaving Congress? All about the Republican representative's resignation after 'worst 9 years'

Republican U.S. Representative from Colorado, Ken Buck, recently announced he will leave Congress at the end of next week. In a statement on Tuesday, March 12, 2024, the lawmaker told reporters about his early retirement, saying it was an honor to serve people in Colorado’s 4th District for nine years.

“Today, I am announcing that I will depart Congress at the end of next week. I look forward to staying involved in our political process, as well as spending more time in Colorado and with my family.”

He later explained his decision in a discussion with CNN, saying,

"It is the worst year of the nine years and three months that I've been in Congress. And having talked to former members, it's the worst year in 40 or 50 years to be in Congress. But I'm leaving because I think there's a job to do out there."

When questioned whether he was leaving due to tension among the House Republicans, Buck promptly replied because the place was “dysfunctional.” He elaborated:

"I have witnessed this for a while and I think that we are seeing a breakdown of civility, a breakdown of, really, priorities in terms of what the American people want."

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Last November, Ken Buck announced he would not seek re-election to Congress

In November 2023, Ken Buck announced he would not run for re-election to Congress. However, he indicated that he would complete his current term. Buck’s exit would reduce the Republican majority in the House (218 Republicans—213 Democrats), leaving them scrambling to find a temporary replacement.

The narrowing difference has already posed a problem for the Republican House speaker Mark Johnson, who announced the news came as a “surprise.” Republicans can only afford to lose two more members on votes, assuming all senators are present.

The narrowing margin has posed a problem for Johnson, who is left to rely on Democratic support or call for a suspension of the rules when attempting to pass a bill. Several times, the Republicans struggled to accomplish their signature projects, including Biden’s impeachment inquiry.

Ken Buck has been known to call out his party or members in the past few years. In November, when he first announced his retirement, he cited GOP spouting "self-serving lies" as a reason. He clashed with his party members over several key issues, including claims about the January 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol. He stated at the time:

"(They) are lying to America, claiming that the 2020 election was stolen, describing Jan. 6 as an unguided tour of the Capitol and asserting the ensuing prosecutions were the weaponization of our justice system... These insidious narratives breed widespread cynicism and erode Americans’ confidence in the rule of law"

Ken Buck recently called out his Caucus (and was the only Republican) for trying to impeach Biden and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, stating that neither was based on evidence of wrongdoing.

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No other statements have been released since the announcement.