On a recent Thursday, GOP Representative Ken Buck from Colorado expressed his view that the impeachment investigation into President Joe Biden should be postponed until Congress can prevent a potential government shutdown. With only two days left for Congress to finalize a spending bill or decide on a temporary continuing resolution (CR), the focus has shifted to House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and other key Republican leaders to come to a resolution before the impending Saturday deadline.
On the same day, the House Oversight Committee started its initial hearings on the impeachment related to accusations against President Biden, primarily from the GOP, concerning his son Hunter Biden’s overseas business interactions.
However, during an interview with CNN’s Anderson Cooper, Buck highlighted his reservations about the sequence of events and the priorities of his Republican peers, stating, “A government shutdown is one of the worst scenarios.” He further criticized the delayed preparations, emphasizing that discussions for a CR should have commenced in July rather than right before a possible shutdown.
While speaking to Cooper, Buck was questioned about the continuation of Biden’s impeachment inquiry amidst a shutdown. Buck expressed uncertainty over which parts of the investigation would be considered crucial. He stated, “Determining who’s essential in this situation might be challenging. Nonetheless, the primary focus should be on the continuing resolution and ensuring government funding.”
Buck had previously shared with CNN that he found the impeachment inquiry unproductive. Despite some House Republicans arguing there’s significant proof connecting Biden to misconduct, no concrete evidence emerged during Thursday’s hearing.
The idea of a temporary CR is to provide lawmakers an extended timeframe to settle on the 12 necessary appropriations bills for the government’s operation. Although the Senate had introduced a bipartisan interim bill earlier, McCarthy did not endorse the proposition, which consists of the $6 billion aid to Ukraine that Biden had suggested.
Extreme right-wing House members have also been questioning McCarthy during these shutdown deliberations. A section of the House Freedom Caucus even penned a letter to McCarthy inquiring about his strategy for passing spending bills. However, Buck, who’s also part of this caucus, did not endorse this letter. He commented to CNN that making such matters public is ill-advised, emphasizing that internal GOP matters should remain private.
Buck further mentioned his disagreement with certain demands, especially regarding Ukraine funding, remarking, “Supporting Ukraine is crucial to ensure Russia, under [President Vladimir] Putin, doesn’t succeed in their objectives. Our support for Ukraine should be consistent and grounded in reality.”
