House Freedom Caucus Conservatives Guard Against Unannounced Rule Changes

The House Freedom Caucus, a group of conservative Republicans, is closely monitoring the House floor to prevent GOP leaders from curbing their power through unannounced resolutions. This comes amid growing calls for changes to concessions made to conservatives by former Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

During a House vote, Speaker Mike Johnson was confronted by Freedom Caucus members demanding answers about rumored rules changes that could weaken their veto power. Johnson was considering a rule change to raise the threshold for forcing a vote to oust the Speaker, which the Freedom Caucus sees as a key source of their control. However, Johnson ultimately decided against pursuing the rule change, citing a lack of majority support.

The Freedom Caucus members were also concerned that Republican leaders could attempt to suddenly remove three hardliners from the Rules Committee, another source of the right's power. Johnson's decision to push through Ukraine aid has angered some hardline Republicans, who have made abandoning Ukraine a top priority. This could lead to attempts to remove Johnson from his job as Speaker.

Why this matters: The ongoing tensions between the Republican leadership and the conservative House Freedom Caucus highlight the challenges of governing with a narrow majority. The concessions made to secure the speakership have empowered the far-right faction, potentially impacting key legislation and foreign policy decisions.

Conservatives like Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) and Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) had threatened to support a motion to vacate if Johnson endorsed the rule change. The increased chatter around Johnson's potential removal also comes as Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) continues to dangle her own motion to vacate over the Speaker's head.

The conservative hardliners in the House Freedom Caucus have formed a 'FART' group to monitor the House floor and prevent GOP leaders from curbing their power through unannounced resolutions. The group, consisting of Freedom Caucus members and their allies, will take shifts guarding the House floor to watch for any surprise resolutions that could be passed by unanimous consent.

"The appropriate time to pick a new leader for the House GOP would be in November, following the traditional closed-door election," said House Freedom Caucus Chairman Bob Good (R-Va.), distancing himself from calls by two GOP rebels to oust Speaker Mike Johnson.

Johnson has stated that he has no intention of supporting efforts to change the motion to vacate rule, which he says has harmed the office and the House majority. The situation highlights the ongoing power struggle between the House Freedom Caucus and the GOP leadership as they navigate a divided House and critical legislation, such as foreign aid packages.

Key Takeaways

• House Freedom Caucus monitors floor to prevent GOP leaders from curbing their power
• Speaker Johnson considered rule change to raise threshold for ousting Speaker, but backed off
• Conservatives threatened to support motion to vacate if Johnson endorsed rule change
• Freedom Caucus formed 'FART' group to monitor House floor and prevent power dilution
• Johnson won't support efforts to change motion to vacate rule, which he says harms House