Republican Rep. Ken Buck announces he'll leave Congress NEXT WEEK: GOP lawmakers stun colleagues and slims Speaker Mike Johnson's majority even further

Republican Rep. Ken Buck announced Tuesday he would leave Congress at the end of next week, rather than serving out the rest of his term in the fourth district of Colorado. 

The Colorado Republican announced his decision in a short statement on social media. 

'Today, I am announcing that I will depart Congress at the end of next week,' Buck said. 'I look forward to staying involved in our political process, as well as spending more time in Colorado with my family.'

Rep. Ken Buck, R-CO announced Tuesday his decision to resign from Congress rather than finishing his term.

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson will only have a two seat majority in the House after Buck leaves. 

Buck's announcement surprised House Republicans as House Speaker Mike Johnson tries to keep his majority intact and wrestle through important spending bills.

Johnson admitted to reporters that Buck had not notified him before his announcement.

'I was surprised by Ken's announcement. I'm looking forward to talking to him about that,' he told reporters on Capitol Hill.

After Buck leaves, Johnson and Republicans will only have a two seat majority in the House. 

Buck's decision to resign his seat also has major implications in the race to replace him seat in Colorado's 4th Congressional District. 

Currently, Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO)  who represents the Colorado 3rd Congressional district is one of at least ten candidates running to replace him in November. 

U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-CO announced in December she would enter the Republican primary to replace Buck.

Buck's early resignation will trigger a special election to replace him, forcing Boebert to make a decision about her political future. She either has to resign her third district congressional seat to run in a special election in the fourth district, or let another candidate fill the seat before challenging that candidate in November.   

Buck spoke about his decision with reporters on Capitol Hill. 

'This place just keeps going downhill, and I don't need to spend my time here,' he said. 

He said he wanted to get involved with the 2024 election cycle, but said he had not decided to join an organization yet or run for president.

Buck said he had left a voice mail with the speaker, but had not spoken to him about his decision personally. He said he thought his early resignation would only help the party.  

'They'll have a chance to fill my seat. And I think that that whoever fills that seat both for the next Congress, as well as the remainder of this Congress will do a great job,' he said. 

Buck, who was reportedly looking for a job with CNN or a similar media outlet said he did not have a deal with any media organization, but told reporters to let him know if if they had any openings.

Republicans expected Buck to finish his term in Congress even though he announced in November he would not run for reelection. 

His refusal to vote to impeach Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and open an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden angered conservatives in Colorado. 

Buck made it clear to reporters he did not expect to change his mind about leaving early. 

'Mike Johnson's ability to talk me into staying here is going to be about as successful as his ability to talk me into unconstitutional impeachment,' he said.