The House Freedom Caucus has reportedly voted to remove Rep. Ken Buck days before the Colorado Republican is set to retire from Congress.
According to one Freedom Caucus member, the lawmaker has not been in “good standing” and “hasn’t been with conservatives on several major issues,” The Hill reports.
Buck, who previously said he would retire at the end of his term, announced last week a more sudden departure.
“Today, I am announcing that I will depart Congress at the end of next week,” he said on March 12. “I look forward to staying involved in our political process, as well as spending more time in Colorado and with my family.”
He told reporters afterwards that Congress "just keeps going downhill and I don't need to spend my time here."
Buck doubled down on that argument in an interview with CNN:
Ken Buck moves up retirement and trashes Congress on the way out:
— Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) March 12, 2024
"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 40-50 years to be in congress." pic.twitter.com/zk4DHxd3wo
The House Freedom Caucus members who spoke with The Hill criticized Buck's decision to depart early, “leaving the conference hanging with a historically narrow margin.”
Buck’s impending departure will put a bookend on his nine-plus year tenure in Congress which, over the past year, has become marked by his criticism of GOP election denialism and his willingness to break from the Republican Party on key votes.
Buck, for example, was one of the eight Republicans who voted to oust former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) from the top job, joining some other members of the Freedom Caucus.
He was also one of the three GOP lawmakers who opposed impeaching Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, which torpedoed the first attempt to oust the embattled cabinet official and dealt an embarrassing blow to the Republican conference. (The Hill)
Buck’s office did not comment on the group’s decision.