The far-right House Freedom Caucus voted Wednesday to remove Rep. Ken Buck (R-Colo.) days before he retires from Congress.
Buck announced last week that he is leaving Congress this Friday, March 22, citing dysfunction in Washington.
“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. But I’m leaving because I think there’s a job to do out there,” Buck told CNN on Tuesday. “This place has just devolved into this bickering and nonsense and not really doing the job for the American people.”
Buck is a hardline conservative, but has found himself out of step with members of the Republican conference on several issues important to the party’s base including the impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and the ongoing effort to impeach President Joe Biden.
A Freedom caucus member told The Hill that the group decided to kick Buck out because “he hasn’t been with conservatives on several major issues” and “is leaving the conference hanging with a historically narrow margin.”
Buck’s decision to retire early triggered a special election that will be held on June 25. In the meantime, Colorado’s 4th district will be without a representative further narrowing Republicans already slim majority in the House to 218-213.
Republicans can only afford to lose two votes to pass legislation on a party-line vote.
