House Freedom Caucus Just Gave the Boot to This Congressman

Colorado Republican Rep. Ken Buck has faced criticism recently for not aligning with conservatives on several major issues, according to a member of the House Freedom Caucus.

"That’s one reason why Buck was voted out of the caucus Tuesday night," the unnamed source told The Hill.

The same source expressed frustration, stating that Buck's resignation was seen as the Republican "leaving the conference hanging with a historically narrow margin."

The vote to remove Buck from the caucus may have been somewhat expected, as he had not been regularly attending caucus meetings "in months."

The source emphasized that Buck wasn’t considered to be a member in "good standing" even before his official removal.

The caucus formally informed Buck of its decision on Tuesday.

Buck had previously announced his retirement from Congress last year but had planned to serve out the remainder of his term.

However, he recently announced that he would accelerate his departure and leave Congress this week.

The Hill noted that Buck's decision "further chips away at the GOP majority in the House."

"Republicans will still only be able to afford to lose two of their members on any party-line votes assuming all lawmakers are present, which is how the breakdown currently stands. But it decreases the cushion GOP lawmakers will have when considering partisan measures," The Hill wrote.

The article highlighted several instances where Buck diverged from the Republican Party on crucial House votes, underscoring the narrow margin the GOP faces in Congress.

For instance, Buck voted against impeaching Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, joining only two other Republican House members in doing so.

He also aligned with Democrats in supporting the removal of California Republican Rep. Kevin McCarthy from the House speakership, making him one of only eight GOP members to do so.

Last year, the House Freedom Caucus similarly ousted Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene due to her perceived closeness with GOP leadership, as reported by The Hill.

Reflecting on his time in Congress, Buck told CNN that the past 12 months have been "the worst year" of his nine years in office.

"It is the worst year of the nine years and three months that I’ve been in Congress," he said. "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 that I want to go do," Buck added.