The Freedom Caucus, also known as the House Freedom Caucus, is a

congressional caucus A congressional caucus is a group of members of the United States Congress that meet to pursue common legislative objectives. Formally, caucuses are formed as congressional member organizations (CMOs) through the United States House of Represent ...

consisting of

conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

members of the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

. It is generally considered to be the most conservative and farthest-right bloc within the

House Republican Conference The House Republican Conference is the party caucus for Republicans in the United States House of Representatives. It hosts meetings and is the primary forum for communicating the party's message to members. The Conference produces a daily pub ...

. The caucus was formed in January 2015 by a group of conservatives and

Tea Party movement The Tea Party movement was an American fiscally conservative political movement within the Republican Party that began in 2009. Members of the movement called for lower taxes and for a reduction of the national debt and federal budget defi ...

members, with the aim of pushing the Republican leadership to the right. Its first chairman,

Jim Jordan James Daniel Jordan (born February 17, 1964) is an American politician currently serving in his ninth term in the U.S. House of Representatives as the representative for since 2007. A member of the Republican Party, he is a two-ti ...

, described the caucus as a "smaller, more cohesive, more agile and more active" group of conservative representatives. The caucus is positioned

right-wing Right-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that view certain social orders and hierarchies as inevitable, natural, normal, or desirable, typically supporting this position on the basis of natural law, economics, authorit ...

far-right Far-right politics, also referred to as the extreme right or right-wing extremism, are political beliefs and actions further to the right of the left–right political spectrum than the standard political right, particularly in terms of being ...

on the political spectrum, with some members holding

right-wing populist Right-wing populism, also called national populism and right-wing nationalism, is a political ideology that combines right-wing politics and populist rhetoric and themes. Its rhetoric employs anti- elitist sentiments, opposition to the Establ ...

beliefs, such as opposition to immigration reform. The group takes hardline conservative positions and favors

social conservativism Social conservatism is a political philosophy and variety of conservatism which places emphasis on traditional power structures over social pluralism. Social conservatives organize in favor of duty, traditional values and social institutio ...

and

small government Libertarian conservatism, also referred to as conservative libertarianism and conservatarianism, is a political and social philosophy that combines conservatism and libertarianism, representing the libertarian wing of conservatism and vice ver ...

. The group sought dozens of times to repeal the

Affordable Care Act The Affordable Care Act (ACA), formally known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and colloquially known as Obamacare, is a landmark U.S. federal statute enacted by the 111th United States Congress and signed into law by Presid ...

. Established as an ultra-conservative alternative to the

Republican Study Committee The Republican Study Committee (RSC) is a study group of conservative members of the Republican Party in the United States House of Representatives. As of 2021, the Chairman of the RSC is Representative Jim Banks of Indiana. Although the prim ...

, the group initially emphasized

fiscal conservatism Fiscal conservatism is a political and economic philosophy regarding fiscal policy and fiscal responsibility with an ideological basis in capitalism, individualism, limited government, and ''laissez-faire'' economics.M. O. Dickerson et al., ''An ...

and concerns about House rules, favoring budget cuts and a decentralization of power within the House of Representatives. Later, the Freedom Caucus shifted its emphasis to loyalty to

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...

and became what ''

Politico ''Politico'' (stylized in all caps), known originally as ''The Politico'', is an American, German-owned political journalism newspaper company based in Arlington County, Virginia, that covers politics and policy in the United States and intern ...

'' described as "more

populist Populism refers to a range of political stances that emphasize the idea of "the people" and often juxtapose this group against " the elite". It is frequently associated with anti-establishment and anti-political sentiment. The term developed ...

and

nationalist Nationalism is an idea and movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the state. As a movement, nationalism tends to promote the interests of a particular nation (as in a group of people), Smith, Anthony. ''Nationalism: The ...

, but less bound by policy principles". The caucus includes some members who are

libertarians Libertarianism (from french: libertaire, "libertarian"; from la, libertas, "freedom") is a political philosophy that upholds liberty as a core value. Libertarians seek to maximize autonomy and political freedom, and minimize the state's enc ...

. The caucus supports House candidates through its PAC, the House Freedom Fund.

History

The caucus originated during the mid-January 2015 Republican congressional retreat in

Hershey, Pennsylvania Hershey is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Derry Township, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is home to The Hershey Company, which was founded by candy magnate Milton S. Hershey. The community is lo ...

. According to founding member

Mick Mulvaney John Michael Mulvaney (born July 21, 1967) is an American politician who served as director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) from February 2017 until March 2020, and as acting White House Chief of Staff from January 2019 until March ...

, "that was the first time we got together and decided we were a group, and not just a bunch of pissed-off guys". Nine conservative Republican members of the House began planning a new congressional caucus separate from the

and apart from the

. The founding members who constituted the first board of directors for the new caucus were Republican representatives

Scott Garrett Ernest Scott Garrett (born July 9, 1959) is an American politician who was the U.S. representative for , serving from 2003 to 2017. He is a member of the Republican Party. He previously served in the New Jersey General Assembly from 1990 to 200 ...

of New Jersey,

of Ohio, John Fleming of Louisiana,

Matt Salmon Matthew James Salmon (born January 21, 1958) is an American politician who served as a U.S. representative from Arizona from 1995 to 2001 and again from 2013 until 2017. A member of the Republican Party, he retired from office after representin ...

of Arizona,

Justin Amash Justin Amash ( ; born April 18, 1980) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the U.S. representative for from 2011 to 2021. Originally a Republican, Amash joined the Libertarian Party in April 2020, becoming the party's first (an ...

of Michigan,

Raúl Labrador Raúl Rafael Labrador (born December 8, 1967) is an American lawyer and politician who is the Attorney General-elect of Idaho. A member of the Republican Party, he chaired the Idaho Republican Party from 2019 to 2020 and served as the U.S. Repre ...

of Idaho, Mulvaney of South Carolina,

Ron DeSantis Ronald Dion DeSantis (; born September 14, 1978) is an American politician serving as the 46th governor of Florida since January 2019. A member of the Republican Party, DeSantis represented Florida's 6th district in the U.S. House of Repres ...

of Florida and

Mark Meadows Mark Randall Meadows (born July 28, 1959) is an American politician who served as the 29th White House chief of staff from 2020 to 2021. A member of the Republican Party, he also served as the U.S. representative for North Carolina's 11th c ...

of North Carolina. Mick Mulvaney told

Ryan Lizza Ryan Christopher Lizza (born July 12, 1974) is an American journalist. His 2017 interview with White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci allegedly resulted in Scaramucci's dismissal. Later that year, Lizza was accused of sexual misco ...

of the ''

New Yorker New Yorker or ''variant'' primarily refers to: * A resident of the State of New York ** Demographics of New York (state) * A resident of New York City ** List of people from New York City * ''The New Yorker'', a magazine founded in 1925 * '' The ...

'', "We had twenty names, and all of them were terrible. None of us liked the Freedom Caucus, either, but it was so generic and so universally awful that we had no reason to be against it." According to Lizza, "one of the working titles for the group was the Reasonable Nutjob Caucus." During the crisis over the funding of the

Department of Homeland Security The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is the U.S. federal executive department responsible for public security, roughly comparable to the interior or home ministries of other countries. Its stated missions involve anti-terr ...

in early 2015, the caucus offered four plans for resolution, but all were rejected by the Republican leadership. One of the caucus leaders, Raúl Labrador, said the caucus would offer an alternative that the most conservative Republican members could support.

Opposition to Speaker of the House John Boehner

The newly formed group declared that a criterion for new members in the group would be opposition to

John Boehner John Andrew Boehner ( ; born , 1949) is an American retired politician who served as the 53rd speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 2011 to 2015. A member of the Republican Party, he served 13 terms as the U.S. represe ...

Speaker of the House The speaker of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body, is its presiding officer, or the chair. The title was first used in 1377 in England. Usage The title was first recorded in 1377 to describe the role of Thomas de Hungerf ...

and willingness to vote against or thwart him on legislation that the group opposed. The House Freedom Caucus was involved in the resignation of Boehner on September 25, 2015, and the ensuing leadership battle for the new speaker. Members of the caucus who had voted against Boehner for speaker felt unfairly punished, accusing him of cutting them off from positions in the Republican Study Committee and depriving them of key committee assignments. Boehner found it increasingly difficult to manage House Republicans with the fierce opposition of conservative members of the Republican Party in the House, and he sparred with those House Republicans in 2013 over their willingness to shut down the government in pursuit of goals such as repealing the Affordable Care Act. These Republicans later created and became members of the Freedom Caucus when it was created in 2015. After Boehner resigned as speaker,

Kevin McCarthy Kevin Owen McCarthy (born January 26, 1965) is an American politician, serving as House Minority Leader in the United States House of Representatives since 2019. A member of the Republican Party, he served as House Majority Leader under spea ...

, the

House majority leader Party leaders of the United States House of Representatives, also known as floor leaders, are congresspeople who coordinate legislative initiatives and serve as the chief spokespersons for their parties on the House floor. These leaders are ele ...

, was initially the lead contender to succeed him, but the Freedom Caucus withheld its support. However, McCarthy withdrew from the race on October 8, 2015, after appearing to suggest that the Benghazi investigation's purpose had been to lower the approval ratings of

Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States sen ...

. On the same day as McCarthy's withdrawal,

Reid Ribble Reid James Ribble (born April 5, 1956) is an American politician who was the U.S. representative for from 2011 to 2017. He is a member of the Republican Party. Early life and education Ribble is a third generation Wisconsin resident. He was bo ...

resigned from the Freedom Caucus saying he had joined to promote certain policies and could not support the role that it was playing in the leadership race. On October 20, 2015,

Paul Ryan Paul Davis Ryan (born January 29, 1970) is an American former politician who served as the List of Speakers of the United States House of Representatives, 54th speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 2015 to 2019. A member o ...

announced that his bid for the

speaker of the United States House of Representatives The speaker of the United States House of Representatives, commonly known as the speaker of the House, is the presiding officer of the United States House of Representatives. The office was established in 1789 by Article I, Section 2 of the U. ...

was contingent on an official endorsement by the Freedom Caucus. While the group could not reach the 80% approval that was needed to give an official endorsement, on October 21, 2015, it announced that it had reached a

supermajority A supermajority, supra-majority, qualified majority, or special majority is a requirement for a proposal to gain a specified level of support which is greater than the threshold of more than one-half used for a simple majority. Supermajority ru ...

support for Ryan. On October 29, 2015, Ryan succeeded Boehner as the speaker of the House. On October 30, 2017, '' Vanity Fair'' published an interview with Boehner, who said of the Freedom Caucus: "They can't tell you what they're for. They can tell you everything they're against. They're anarchists. They want total chaos. Tear it all down and start over. That's where their mindset is."

Backlash in 2016

The group faced backlash from the Republican Party establishment during the 2016 election cycle. One of its members, Congressman

Tim Huelskamp Timothy Alan Huelskamp (; born November 11, 1968) is an American politician who was the U.S. representative for from 2011 to 2017. Huelskamp, a member of the Republican Party, was rated the least bipartisan member of the House during the 114th ...

, a Tea Party Republican representing Kansas' First District, was defeated during a primary election on August 2, 2016, by Roger Marshall.

During Trump administration

Following the election of Donald Trump, Mulvaney said "Trump wants to turn Washington upside down – that was his first message and his winning message. We want the exact same thing. To the extent that he's got to convince Republicans to change Washington, we're there to help him ... and I think that makes us Donald Trump's best allies in the House." Freedom Caucus vice chair

said that during the Trump administration, the Freedom Caucus shifted focus from passing legislation to defending the President.

Rejection of American Health Care Act in 2017

On March 24, 2017, the

American Health Care Act The American Health Care Act of 2017 (often shortened to the AHCA or nicknamed Trumpcare) was a bill in the 115th United States Congress. The bill, which was passed by the United States House of Representatives but not by the United States S ...

(AHCA), the House Republican bill to repeal and replace the

, was withdrawn by Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan because it lacked the votes to pass, due in large part to opposition from Freedom Caucus Republicans who believed that the replacement provisions had the effect of failing to repeal some elements of the original Affordable Care Act. Two days later, President

publicly criticized the Freedom Caucus and other right-wing groups, such as the

Club for Growth The Club for Growth is a 501(c)(4) conservative organization active in the United States, with an agenda focused on cutting taxes and other economic policy issues. Club for Growth's largest funders are the billionaires Jeff Yass and Richard U ...

and

Heritage Action Heritage Action for America, more commonly known simply as Heritage Action, is a Conservatism in the United States, conservative policy advocacy organization founded in 2010. Heritage Action, which has affiliates throughout the United States, is ...

, that opposed the bill. Trump tweeted: "Democrats are smiling in D.C. that the Freedom Caucus, with the help of Club For Growth and Heritage, have saved Planned Parenthood & Obamacare!" On the same day, Congressman

Ted Poe Lloyd Theodore Poe (born September 10, 1948) is an American politician who represented Texas's 2nd congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 2005 to 2019. Poe was the first Republican to represent the 2nd district. ...

of Texas resigned from the Freedom Caucus. On March 30, 2017, Trump "declared war" on the Freedom Caucus, sending a tweet urging Republicans to "fight them" in the 2018 midterm elections "if they don’t get on the team" (i.e., support Trump's proposals). Vocal Freedom Caucus member

responded by accusing Trump of "succumb ngto the D.C. Establishment." Trump later developed a closer relationship with the caucus chair,

. In April 2018, Trump described three caucus membersMeadows,

, and

as "absolute warriors" for their defense of him during the course of the

Special Counsel investigation In the United States, a special counsel (formerly called special prosecutor or independent counsel) is a lawyer appointed to Criminal investigation, investigate, and potentially prosecution, prosecute, a particular case of suspected wrongdoing fo ...

During first impeachment of Trump

In May 2019, the Freedom Caucus officially condemned one of its founding members,

, after he called for the impeachment of President Trump over the

Trump–Ukraine scandal The "Trump–Ukraine scandal" refers to efforts by U.S. President Donald Trump to coerce Ukraine and other countries into providing damaging narratives about 2020 Democratic Party presidential candidate Joe Biden, and giving misinformatio ...

. Amash, an outspoken libertarian, announced in June 2019 that he had left the caucus; later the same year, he left the Republican Party and joined the

Libertarian Party Active parties by country Defunct parties by country Organizations associated with Libertarian parties See also * Liberal parties by country * List of libertarian organizations * Lists of political parties Lists of political part ...

. During the impeachment inquiry against Trump, and subsequent first impeachment of Trump, the caucus emerged as a chief defender of Trump during the proceedings.

Meadows' appointment as WH chief of staff and Liz Cheney criticism

In March 2020, former Freedom Caucus chair Mark Meadows was appointed as White House chief of staff, replacing

, who was also a founding member of the Freedom Caucus. Freedom Caucus members have called on

Liz Cheney Elizabeth Lynne Cheney (; born July 28, 1966) is an American attorney and politician who has been the U.S. representative for since 2017, with her term expiring in January 2023. She chaired the House Republican Conference, the third-highest p ...

to resign as

Chair of the House Republican Conference The House Republican Conference is the party caucus for Republicans in the United States House of Representatives. It hosts meetings and is the primary forum for communicating the party's message to members. The Conference produces a daily pu ...

, due to her vocal criticism of Trump's foreign policy, response to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

, and use of social media, leading to her firing May 12, 2021, and replacement by

Elise Stefanik Elise Marie Stefanik (; born July 2, 1984) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for since 2015. As chair of the House Republican Conference since 2021, she is the third-ranking House Republican. Stefanik's district cover ...

two days later.

2020 National Defense Authorization Act

In December 2020, the caucus sided with Donald Trump and opposed the

NDAA NDAA may refer to: *National Defense Authorization Act The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) is the name for each of a series of United States federal laws specifying the annual budget and expenditures of the U.S. Department of Defense ...

on the grounds that it did not include a provision to repeal

Section 230 Section 230 is a section of Title 47 of the United States Code that was enacted as part of the United States Communications Decency Act and generally provides immunity for website platforms with respect to third-party content. At its core, Sect ...

Role in attempting to overturn 2020 election and opposition to second Trump impeachment

After Trump lost the his bid for reelection in November 2020, many members of the Freedom Caucus supported Trump's attempt to overturn the election results. In early December 2020, amid pressure from Trump on congressional Republicans to help him subvert the election outcome, two dozen House Republicans, including many Freedom Caucus members, sent a letter to Trump asking him to order his

Attorney General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...

William P. Barr William Pelham Barr (born May 23, 1950) is an American attorney who served as the 77th and 85th United States attorney general in the administrations of Presidents George H. W. Bush and Donald Trump. Born and raised in New York City, Barr ...

, to appoint a Justice Department special counsel to investigate supposed election "irregularities," even though Barr had previously acknowledged that there was no evidence justifying such a step.Rachael Bade, Josh Dawsey & Tom Hamburger
Trump pressures congressional Republicans to help in his fight to overturn the election
''Washington Post'' (December 10, 2020). Several Freedom Caucus members met with officials at Trump's White House in December 2020, discussing ways to overturn the election results during the 2021 United States Electoral College vote count. Most Freedom Caucus members objected to the counting of the electoral votes that formalized Trump's defeat. During the second impeachment of Donald Trump for

incitement of insurrection Sedition is overt conduct, such as speech and organization, that tends toward rebellion against the established order. Sedition often includes subversion of a constitution and incitement of discontent toward, or insurrection against, establis ...

, Freedom Caucus leadership and members demanded that Representative

, one of 10 Republicans who voted in favor of impeachment, resign from her role as chairwoman of the House Republican Conference.Mike DeBonis, Josh Dawsey & Seung Min Kim
Several senior Republicans join impeachment push
''Washington Post'' (January 13, 2021).Catie Edmondson

''New York Times'' (January 14, 2021).

2021–present

America First Caucus and MAGA Squad

In April 2021, a faction within the Freedom Caucus, led by

Paul Gosar Paul Anthony Gosar ( ; born November 27, 1958) is an American far-rightMultiple sources: * * * politician and former dentist who has been the U.S. representative for since 2013. A Republican, he was elected in 2010 to represent the neighbor ...

and

Marjorie Taylor Greene Marjorie Taylor Greene (born May 27, 1974), also known by her initials MTG, is an American politician, businesswoman, and far-right conspiracy theorist Sources describing Greene as "far-right" include: * * * * * * * * * who has served as th ...

, attempted to form a new splinter group called the 'America First Caucus', along with

Matt Gaetz Matthew Louis Gaetz II ( ; born May 7, 1982) is an American lawyer and politician who has served as the U.S. representative for since 2017. A Republican, he has been described as an ally of former president Donald Trump, as well as a proponen ...

. Senior members of the Freedom Caucus reportedly reacted with "fury" to the proposal, with

Ken Buck Kenneth Robert Buck (born February 16, 1959) is an American lawyer and politician who has represented Colorado's 4th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives since 2015. From March 30, 2019, to March 27, 2021, Buck s ...

publicly denouncing it. The new caucus was later scrapped. Later, a faction emerged of Trump loyalists within the Freedom Caucus known as the '

MAGA Maga or MAGA may refer to: MAGA * Make America Great Again, a political slogan famously used by Donald Trump * Museo MAGA, a modern-art museum in Gallarate, Italy * ''maga'', the logo of the Cornish Language Partnership, an organisation promot ...

Squad', which included Gosar, Greene, Gaetz,

Madison Cawthorn David Madison Cawthorn (born August 1, 1995) is an American politician who served as the United States House of Representatives, U.S. representative for North Carolina's 11th congressional district from 2021 to 2023. Cawthorn became the first me ...

Louie Gohmert Louis Buller Gohmert Jr. (; born August 18, 1953) is an American attorney, politician, and former jurist serving as the U.S. representative from Texas's 1st congressional district since 2005. Gohmert is a Republican and was part of the Tea P ...

Mo Brooks Morris Jackson "Mo" Brooks Jr. (born April 29, 1954) is an American attorney and politician who served as the U.S. representative for from 2011 to 2023. His district was based in Huntsville and stretches across the northern fifth of the sta ...

Andy Biggs Andrew Steven Biggs (born November 7, 1958) is an American attorney and politician who represents in the United States House of Representatives. The district, which was once represented by U.S. Senators, John McCain and Jeff Flake, is in the ...

, Scott Perry and

Lauren Boebert Lauren Opal Boebert ( ; ; born December 19, 1986) is an American politician, businesswoman, and gun rights activist. A member of the Republican Party, she serves as the U.S. representative for . From 2013 to 2022, she owned Shooters Grill, a ...

. It was "not a formal caucus", but was described as more radical than the mainstream Freedom Caucus. The group supported primary challenges against incumbent Republicans during the

2022 United States House of Representatives elections The 2022 United States House of Representatives elections were held on November 8, 2022, as part of the 2022 United States elections during incumbent president Joe Biden's term. The elections were held to elect representatives from all 435 U ...

State Freedom Caucus Network

In December 2021, the Freedom Caucus officially expanded to the state level, establishing the 'State Freedom Caucus Network' in state legislatures to provide legislators with additional resources. The group has state-level caucuses in ten states: Arizona, Idaho, Georgia, South Carolina, Mississippi, South Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, Pennsylvania and Illinois. Aside from the caucuses affiliated with the State Freedom Caucus Network, several state-level caucuses describing themselves as the 'Freedom Caucus' exist in other state legislatures, including in Texas, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Georgia, and Michigan.

Respect for Marriage Act

In July 2022, the caucus split over the

Respect for Marriage Act The Respect for Marriage Act (RFMA; ) is a landmark United States federal law passed by the 117th United States Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden. It repeals the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), requires the U.S. federal gover ...

, which recognized a statutory right to

same-sex marriage Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same Legal sex and gender, sex or gender. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 33 countries, with the most recent being ...

. Chairman Scott Perry (R-PA) joined 46 other Republicans (as well as all Democrats) in voting for the bill, (Perry later voted against final passage of the bill) but the rest of the Freedom Caucus opposed it, adopting a formal position urging Senate Republicans to block the bill. To take a formal position on legislation, the Freedom Caucus requires the support of 80% of the caucus's members.

2022 House Republican leadership elections

In the November 2022 elections, Republicans narrowly regained control of the House of Representatives that opens in January 2023. The Freedom Caucus was actively involved in the ensuing House Republican leadership elections, but was divided over whether to challenge House Minority Leader

's bid to be Speaker of the House of Representatives. Before the internal House Republican election, the caucus issued an array of demands that would fundamentally change House procedure by weakening the power of the speaker and strengthening the power of both the caucus and rank-and-file House Republicans as a whole.Matt Fuller, Sam Brodey & Zachary Petrizzo
Kevin McCarthy’s Speakership Is in Trouble Before It Starts
''Daily Beast'' (November 10, 2022). These included making it easier to oust a speaker by reviving the

motion to vacate A motion to vacate is a formal proposal, either to 'vacate' (or reverse) the decision in a matter which had previously been formally ruled upon or decided, or to replace the holder of a presiding position. Legal use In the legal context, a motion ...

the chair; allowing 10% of the Republican conference to force a vote on any amendment, thus reducing the speaker's control over legislation; and codifying the

Hastert rule The Hastert Rule, also known as the "majority of the majority" rule, is an informal governing principle used in the United States by Republican Speakers of the House of Representatives since the mid-1990s to maintain their speakerships and limit ...

("majority-of-the-majority" rule), which would block all legislation except those supported by a majority of House Republicans. Former caucus chair

launched a challenge to McCarthy, but McCarthy earned the Republican nomination for speaker, by defeating Biggs in a 188–31 secret ballot vote,Erin Doherty & Andrew Solender
McCarthy: Democrats could influence House speaker pick if GOP doesn't unite
''Axios'' (November 29, 2022). with an additional five Republicans writing in other names.Philip Elliott
The NeverKevins Can Still Block McCarthy's Bid for Speaker
''Time'' (November 22, 2022). McCarthy ran with the endorsement of other Freedom Caucus members, such as vice chair

David Schweikert David S. Schweikert (; born March 3, 1962) is an American politician and businessman serving as the U.S. representative for from 2013 to 2023 and since 2023. A member of the Republican Party, he first entered Congress in 2011, representing ...

, and

. Caucus member

Byron Donalds Byron Lowell Donalds (born October 28, 1978) is an American politician and businessman serving as the U.S. representative for Florida's 19th congressional district since 2021. His district serves most of the heart of Southwest Florida, including ...

also ran for

chair, but lost to incumbent

, while member

Andrew Clyde Andrew Scott Clyde (born November 22, 1963) is an American politician and gun store owner from the state of Georgia. A Republican, Clyde represents in the United States House of Representatives, assuming office in 2021. The district serves a la ...

ran for House Republican Conference secretary, but lost to

Lisa McClain Lisa Carmella McClain ( Iovannisci; born April 7, 1966) is an American politician who serves as the U.S. representative for since 2021. A member of the Republican Party, she won election to the state's redrawn 9th district in the 2022 electio ...

. McCarthy needed 218 votes from the House floor to be elected speaker in the January 3, 2023 vote. After winning the internal Republican nomination, some Freedom Caucus members became outspoken supporters of McCarthy, including Jordan, a former McCarthy rivalOlivia Beavers & Jordain Carney
Wanted by McCarthy critics: 1 qualified alternative speaker
''Politico'' (December 11, 2022). who was set to be chairman of the House Judiciary Committee.Emily Brooks
Seven hard-line House Republicans lay out Speaker demands amid McCarthy opposition
''The Hill'' (December 9, 2022). Taylor Greene also backed McCarthy, saying that any alternative to McCarthy would be insufficiently right-wing. Other caucus members resisted supporting McCarthy, with five members saying they would vote against him, although they have not coalesced around a specific alternative candidate.Andrew Solender
McCarthy's math problem
''Axios'' (November 30, 2022). A third group of caucus members did not publicly support or oppose McCarthy's speakership bid, seeking to extract concessions from him. Because the House Republicans only have a narrow majority (222–212), McCarthy could not gain a majority unless nearly all Republicans voted for him. McCarthy warned his internal opponents that the next speaker of the House could be chosen with House Democratic votes if the Republican caucus failed to unite around him. In December 2022, seven hardline Republicans, including Freedom Caucus chairman Scott Perry and several members of the caucus, issued a letter demanding certain commitments from a speaker; the letter repeated many demands that the group had made in summer 2022, including securing an increase in Freedom Caucus representation in committee chairmanships and in the

House Rules Committee The Committee on Rules, or more commonly, the Rules Committee, is a committee of the United States House of Representatives. It is responsible for the rules under which bills will be presented to the House of Representatives, unlike other commit ...

; barring the House Republican leadership and House Republican leadership PACs from getting involved in primaries (as McCarthy has done); and restoring the motion to vacate the chair. In January 2023, 19 Freedom Caucus members voted against McCarthy during the House floor vote for Speaker, eventually allowing McCarthy to become Speaker only after he had agreed to make extensive House rules concessions to the rebels.

Leadership

The current chair of the caucus is Representative Scott Perry from Pennsylvania, with Representative Jim Jordan as the deputy chair.

Membership

Membership policy

The House Freedom Caucus does not disclose the names of its members and membership is by invitation only. ''The New York Times'' wrote in October 2015 that the caucus usually meets "in the basement of a local pub rather than at the Capitol". The caucus acts as a bloc, with decisions that are supported by 80 percent made binding on all of its members, which has strengthened its influence among House Republicans.

Historical membership

As the HFC does not publicize a full membership list, the known number of members at the start of each electoral cycle is listed below.

Current members

A number of members have identified themselves, or have been identified by others, as belonging to the Freedom Caucus. There are at least 46 caucus members ; those members include:

Former members

References

External links

* * * {{USCongress 2015 in American politics Organizations established in 2015 Conservative organizations in the United States Factions in the Republican Party (United States) Far-right organizations in the United States Libertarianism in the United States Ideological caucuses of the United States Congress Political organizations based in the United States Republican Party (United States) Republican Party (United States) organizations Tea Party movement Trumpism 2015 establishments in Washington, D.C.