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The earlier-than-planned exit of the 65-year-old Colorado
lawmaker will reduce Republicans' majority in the House of
Representatives to 218-213. That narrow margin has already posed
problems for Speaker Mike Johnson, as it did for his ousted
predecessor, Kevin McCarthy.
Buck told reporters he had seen heightened dysfunction in U.S.
politics for a while.
"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," Buck
said, without blaming his own party.
Asked if his exit would make it harder to manage the chamber, he
replied, "What could be harder?"
Republican hardliners have repeatedly bucked their leadership on
votes, leaving Johnson to lean on a maneuver called suspension
of the rules to pass critical legislation like bills averting
government shutdowns, relying on Democratic support.
Buck himself has broken with his party on key votes, including
on the impeachment of Alejandro Mayorkas, the top border
official in President Joe Biden's administration. The House's
first vote on that matter failed, an embarrassment for Johnson.
Buck had said on Nov. 1 that he would not seek reelection at the
end of his term.
(Reporting by Makini Brice, Eric Beech and Dan Whitcomb; Editing
by Scott Malone and Deepa Babington)
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