BREAKING: Republican Lawmaker Makes Surprise Announcement That Puts The GOP Majority At Stake

On Tuesday, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) got some of the worst news of his tenure after a Republican lawmaker, who had previously announced that he would not be seeking another term, said that he would be resigning from his office next week, lowering the GOP majority to only two seats for the remainder of the 118th Congress.

Rep. Ken Buck (R-CO), who has often bucked the party such as with his vote against impeaching Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, made the surprise announcement via a statement that read, "It has been an honor to serve the people of Coloardo's 4th District in Congress for the apst 9 years. I want to thank them for their support and encouragement throughout the years."

"Today, I am announcing that I will depart Congress at the end of next week," he explained. "I look forward to staying involved in our political process, as well as spending more time in Colorado with my family." The announcement comes as a surprise to GOP leadership with Punchbowl News' Jake Sherman reporting, "It's amazing to me that Ken Buck resigned effective next week and the speaker of the House and House majority leader seemingly had no idea in advance."

While the House GOP majority dwindles to only two seats after multiple resignations in recent months including former Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), the fight to replace Buck in Colorado's 4th Congressional District is fierce after Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) entered the primary after a razor thin election win in her own district in 2022. While it will take a number of months for a replacement to be elected, Speaker Johnson will have to deal with an even smaller majority amid a fractious caucus.

See Buck's full statement below:

This is a developing story and will be updated accordingly.

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