Ken Buck lets loose in ‘exit interview,’ spilling secrets on Congress
By
Annabella Rosciglione
April 30, 2024 9:16 am
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Former Colorado Republican Rep. Ken Buck shared some of his greatest frustrations and lifted the lid on how Congress works in an interview airing several retiring lawmakers’ thoughts on how the House is operating.
Buck, who started representing Colorado’s 4th Congressional District in 2015, announced his retirement, resigned early, and left his seat wide open. Late last year, he announced he would not seek reelection in 2024, citing “lying” from his party about the Jan. 6 insurrection on the U.S. Capitol.
“It has been an honor to serve the people of Colorado’s 4th District in Congress for the past 9 years,” Buck said in a short statement announcing his exit from Congress.
As the 118th Congress grapples with high levels of unproductiveness due to party infighting, Buck unloaded on the institution during an exit interview with the New York Times.
“One of the most frustrating experiences for me was the antitrust legislation concerning Big Tech,” Buck said. “They have so much money and so much influence on the Hill that we just can’t move forward on those issues.”
“The frustration of being in the House and being told all the time, ‘This is how you need to vote,’” Buck said. “The part of me that wanted to stick around because I believed we could get more things done died.”
His frustrations echoed his claim about “corruption” in Congress. Buck said he was shocked by the demands put on him to fundraise specific dollar amounts if he wanted to be on various committees and how those demands increased for more powerful committees that have a wider reach. Buck described the process as “buying” his positions in the House.
“I was told at the beginning that I had to raise $250,000 if I wanted to be on certain committees, and if I wanted to be on more important committees or committees with broader jurisdiction, I needed to raise even more money,” Buck said. “Buying a committee seat is not something most Americans know that members of Congress have to do.”
Buck also opened up about his $174,000 salary and the difficulties that come with it as he earns more than the median worker he represents but not so much that making trips between his district and the Capitol is easy.
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https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/house/2984376/ken-buck-lets-loose-exit-interview-spilling-secrets-congress/
