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Rep. Ken Buck surprised many last fall when he announced he wouldn’t seek re-election, but last week, the Colorado Republican delivered an even bigger jolt when he said he wouldn’t bother to serve the remainder of his term.
Asked why he was quitting, Buck told reporters, “This place just keeps going downhill, and I don’t need to spend my time here.”
He’s not alone in coming to this conclusion. The Washington Post labeled recent developments the “Great Resignation.”
Despite all the congressional gridlock these days, lawmakers have succeeded in one surprising area of productivity: driving their colleagues into resignation. ... The data for congressional resignations is somewhat murky, but it’s clear that over the last four decades, at least, the House hasn’t seen this many people just quit public service in the middle of their term.
As is always the case, the details matter — and not all resignations should be seen the same way.
Early on in the last Congress, for example, three House Democrats — Ohio’s Marcia Fudge, New Mexico’s Deb Haaland, and Louisiana’s Cedric Richmond — gave up their congressional seats, not because they were eager to leave Capitol Hill, but to take on prominent roles in President Joe Biden’s administration.
The resignations in the current Congress, however, are more common and qualitatively different, given that members have left for jobs outside of government service.
- Democratic Rep. David Cicilline resigned to lead a foundation in his home state of Rhode Island.
- Republican Rep. Chris Stewart of Utah resigned to lead a lobbying firm.
- Democratic Rep. Brian Higgins resigned to become president of Shea’s Performing Arts Center in Buffalo.
- Republican Rep. Bill Johnson of Ohio resigned to take over as president of Youngstown State University.
- Republican Sen. Ben Sasse of Nebraska resigned to take over as president of the University of Florida.
- Republican Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California resigned because being an ousted House speaker wasn’t any fun.
- Republican Rep. Ken Buck of Colorado resigned because he’s apparently sick of the place.
To be sure, in an institution with 535 seats — 435 in the House and 100 in the Senate — this might not seem like a large number of departures. But as a rule, members, even those who intend to retire, don’t just quit in the middle of their term. It’s why the Post’s analysis found resignations reaching a generational high.
What’s more, there’s no reason to assume that the list won’t grow: As the Post’s article added, Buck, whose last day is Friday, “warned that more resignations could be coming.”
That would be dramatic, but not altogether surprising. When a Congress has far more resignations than legislative accomplishments, there’s a problem, and it’s tough to blame members for eyeing the exits.