Steube to Newsmax: Buck Quitting Puts District, House in 'Terrible Position'

Rep. Greg Steube, R-Fla., told Newsmax on Tuesday that Colorado Republican Rep. Ken Buck's surprise announcement that he will resign effective March 22 puts his district and the House in a "terrible position."

"It means we have like a one-vote majority, and it's going to depend on who's in the chamber," Steube said during an appearance on Newsmax's "The Chris Salcedo Show." "It puts us in a very, very challenging position. It's going to make the whip's operation very challenging and difficult because it's going to be dependent on how many people we actually have in the chamber.

"So, if somebody's out sick, if somebody has a surgery, if somebody can't make it for some reason, you're not going to be able to hold the floor votes because if you have more Democrats present in voting than Republicans, they can move to vacate the chair and then install their own speaker," he said. "So, they're going to have to be very cautious when we open up the floor that we have more Republicans present and voting than the Democrats do."

Buck, who said last year he will not seek reelection in November, has represented Colorado's heavily Republican fourth congressional district since 2015. A member of the House Judiciary and Foreign Affairs committees, he told CNN that dysfunction on Capitol Hill was largely to blame for his decision to leave Washington.

"It is the worst year of the nine years and three months that I've been in Congress and having talked to former members, it's the worst year in 40, 50 years to be in Congress," Buck said. "But I'm leaving because I think there's a job to do out there.

"This place has just devolved into this bickering and nonsense and not really doing the job for the American people," he added.

While Buck's decision to quit Congress puts the House "in a terrible position," Steube argued "it puts his district in an even worse position" because the people there will be "unrepresented."

"So, there will be no representative in that district in Colorado until there's a special election, which, at this point, that governor, who I think is a Democrat, will likely not set it until November, which will leave that district without a representative until November," he said. "So, it's very difficult for the [GOP] conference. It's difficult for us to conduct business, and it leaves his district completely unrepresented."

Buck's departure will reportedly leave House Republicans with a 218-213 majority over Democrats, meaning that they can only afford to lose two votes when passing legislation with all members present and voting.

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