Ken Buck Says He’s Happy to Be Gone From ‘Dysfunctional’ Congress

Rep. Ken Buck (R-Colo.) speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Dallas at the Hilton Anatole on Aug. 6, 2022. Bobby Sanchez/The Epoch Times

Outgoing Rep. Ken Buck (R-Colo.) has said he has no regrets about abruptly resigning from his role in the House of Representatives because of his mounting frustration with Congress amid growing dysfunction among his peers.

Mr. Buck announced last November that he would retire from Congress at the end of his current term. However, he upped his exit last week and announced he was resigning from his seat as of March 22.

In a March 24 interview on the ABC News program “This Week,” he said that regardless of what happens next, he does not regret his decision in the slightest because of his frustration with what he saw as dysfunction on Capitol Hill.

“No rear-view mirror, happy to move on. Dysfunctional place,” he said.

According to Mr. Buck, his choice to leave Congress was driven by elected members’ inability to deal with significant issues. He has also indicated a passion for changing electoral laws in the United States and said he was leaving to “find the right organization to join” and “start working on that issue.”

“Since this Congress started, there have been efforts to impeach the secretary of state, the secretary of defense, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the president, the attorney general, the FBI director, and, in fact, did impeach the director secretary of homeland security,” he said.

Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas was impeached on Feb. 13. Mr. Mayorkas, who was appointed by President Joe Biden and confirmed by the Democratic Senate in 2021, was impeached on two counts relating to his handling of the border crisis by a vote of 214–213. All but three Republicans voted in favor. Mr. Buck was among those who opposed the action.

Mr. Buck claims the current Congress has “[s]erious problems with setting priorities” and should focus on broader issues affecting the country and its allies.

“We have a very tragic circumstance in Ukraine. We have spiraling debt, all kinds of out-of-control problems, and we focus on messaging bills that get us nowhere,” Mr. Buck said.

The U.S. national debt reached a record high of $34 trillion at the end of 2023, and the federal government’s total public debt ballooned to $2.65 trillion in a single year. In recent times, Republicans have been calling for cuts to spending amid a battle over the debt limit, which Congress imposes to restrict the total amount of debt the government can hold. Republicans have hesitated to support any action that increases spending and doesn’t address the ongoing border and debt crisis.

One day before his retirement, Mr. Buck became the first Republican in the House to sign the Democrats’ discharge petition to force a vote on sending an additional $60 million in foreign aid to Ukraine. Despite his retirement, he also was removed from the House Freedom Caucus due to attendance issues.

Mr. Buck has represented Colorado’s fourth district since 2015. According to Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D), Mr. Buck’s newly vacated congressional seat will be decided in a special election on June 25, which is aligned with the state’s upcoming presidential primary.