- Former Republican Rep. Ken Buck continues to criticize the House’s dysfunction.
- He recently told WaPo that he “did a better job” with Democrats in control of the House.
- Mr. Buck, who compiled a largely conservative voting record, resigned from Congress last month.
It’s been less than a month since former Colorado Republican Rep. Ken Buck left Congress. But hit songs keep coming.
Among the many recent criticisms of the Republican-controlled House of Representatives (including his claim that the system “continues to go downhill”), the conservative has recently focused on his effectiveness as a member of the House. made a worthy claim.
While most members are happy to be part of a majority party in Congress, Buck told the Washington Post that “we could have done a better job” when Democrats ran the House.
Buck pointed to the passage of the bipartisan Speak Out Act, which bans pre-dispute confidentiality agreements in cases involving allegations of sexual harassment and assault. He also talked about his approach to antitrust issues in Big Tech.
The former congressman told the paper it was “ironic” that he felt his party was more productive than when it led the chamber.
Buck was first elected to Congress in 2014, representing Colorado’s deep-red 4th District, and entered the House when Republicans also had a majority. But unlike the House in the mid-2010s, Republicans at the start of the 118th Congress had one of the smallest House majorities in years.
The slim majority made life impossible for former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy of California and made things difficult for current House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana. Mr. McCarthy had to navigate among the dominant ultra-conservatives who wield influence in the House Republican conference. And Mr. Johnson is now dealing with the same internal dynamics in a chamber that Republicans control by a narrow 218-213 margin.
