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The Freedom
Caucus |
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The Freedom Caucus, also
known as the House Freedom Caucus, is a
congressional caucus consisting of
Republican members of the United States
House of Representatives. It is generally
considered to be the most conservative and
farthest-right bloc within the House
Republican Conference. The caucus was formed
in January 2015 by a group of conservatives
and Tea Party movement members, with the aim
of pushing the Republican leadership to the
right. Its first chairman, Jim Jordan,
described the caucus as a "smaller, more
cohesive, more agile and more active" group
of conservative representatives. The caucus
is positioned right-wing to far-right on the
political spectrum, with some members
holding right-wing populist beliefs, such as
opposition to immigration reform. The group
takes hardline conservative positions and
favors social conservativism and small
government. The group sought dozens of times
to repeal the Affordable Care Act.
Established as an ultra-conservative
alternative to the Republican Study
Committee, the group initially emphasized
fiscal conservatism 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 and became what Politico
described as "more populist and nationalist,
but less bound by policy principles". The
caucus includes some members who are
libertarians. The caucus supports House
candidates through its PAC, the House
Freedom Fund. |
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State
Freedom
Caucus
Network |
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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,
Washington
and
Michigan. |
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Source:
Wikipedia,
Mar. 18,
2023 |
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Source: State Freedom Caucus website. May 31, 2024 |
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"As of May 2024
Eli Crane (AZ-2),
Andy Biggs (AZ-5),
Debbie Lesko (AZ-8),
Paul Gosar (AZ-9) were Arizona members
of the House Freedom Caucus. Also, as of
May 2024 Arizona State House of
Representatives members included Rep.
Jake Hoffman, Rep.
Joseph Chaplik, Rep.
Cory McGarr, Rep.
Barbara Parker, Rep.
Rachel Jones, Rep.
Alex Kolodin, Rep.
, Rep.
Jacqueline Parker, Rep.
Beverly Pingerelli, Rep.
Austin Smith, Rep.
Justine Wadsack, Sen.
Anthony Kern and Sen.
Justin Heap." |
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Arizona
Freedom
Caucus Plans
To Sue Hobbs
Over
Executive
Order
Protecting
LGBTQ
Employees |
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"The Arizona
Freedom
Caucus, an
offshoot of
the
ultra-conservative Freedom
Caucus in
the U.S.
House of
Representatives,
said Monday
that it
plans to sue
Gov. Katie
Hobbs for
executive
orders she
issued in
her first
week on the
job. Arizona
Freedom
Caucus
Chairman and
Queen Creek
state Sen. Jake
Hoffman accused
Hobbs of
attempting
to legislate
via
“executive
fiat.” Hobbs
had issued
four
executive
orders at
the time.
“If Katie
Hobbs wants
to
legislate,
she needs to
get her butt
out of the
Governor’s
Office and
run for the
legislature
and come
back and
join us and
do that
job,”
Hoffman told
reporters on
the grassy
lawn in
front of the
state
Senate. A
woman in the
crowd
shouted back
that Hobbs
was
“illegitimate”
in response
to Hoffman’s
statement.
Hoffman and
the Arizona
Freedom
Caucus also
vowed to
“stand in
(Hobbs’) way
in every
step of the
process” if
she
continues to
use
executive
orders. “You
can bet your
ass that
will
happen,”
Hoffman
said. The
executive
order that
so enraged
the Arizona
Freedom
Caucus is
Hobbs’
first, part
of her
“First 100
Days
Initiative,”
which
outlines the
first 100
actions she
plans to
take in her
first 100
days. Under
the new
order, the
Arizona
Department
of
Administration
will
reinforce
nondiscrimination
laws for
state
agencies,
guarantee
equal
employment
opportunities
and
establish
updated
procedures
by April 1.
New
contracts
and
subcontracts
with the
state also
have to
include
provisions
to prevent
discrimination.
The
provisions
are aimed at
ensuring
there is no
discrimination
against
LGBTQ
workers." |
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Jan. 10,
2023 |
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What Is
The House
Freedom
Caucus? |
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"They
have been
likened by
fellow
Republicans
to “lemmings
with suicide
vests”,
“legislative
terrorists”
and the
Taliban.
When they
formed a
voting bloc
in 2015 they
considered
naming
themselves
the
“Reasonable
Nut Job
Caucus”.
Members of
the House Freedom
Caucus,
a troupe of
about 50
far-right
Republicans
in America’s
House of
Representatives
(out of 222
Republicans
in the
chamber),
are
unabashed
agents of
chaos. In
this
Congress
they became
kingmakers.
Nineteen of
the 20
lawmakers
who forced
15 rounds of
voting for
the position
of speaker
belong to
the group.
Only after
Kevin
McCarthy
granted them
significant
concessions
did he win
the job on
January 7th.
What is the
Freedom
Caucus—and
what power
do its
members now
wield? The
caucus was
formed by
Republican
members who
considered
the
leadership
of the House
(then, as
now, in
Republican
hands) too
amenable to
compromise
with House
Democrats
and the
Obama
administration.
Ironically
the group
was borne of
frustration
with the
Republican
Study
Committee (rsc),
a once
similarly
minded
caucus
established
during the
Nixon
administration,
which had
lost its
insurgent
character.
Unlike the
rsc, the
Freedom
Caucus’s
membership
was secret
and
invitation-only.
Its bylaws
stressed
unity: on
certain
measures, if
four-fifths
of members
agreed to
vote one
way, all had
to follow
suit. Its
defiance of
the House
leadership
quickly
earned
punishment.
Some of its
members were
stripped of
committee
assignments
and denied
party funds
for
re-election.
Yet its
ranks have
swelled in
recent
years." |
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Jan. 9, 2023 |
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Freedom
Caucus Chair
Andy Biggs
Helped Plan
January 6
Event, Lead
Organizer
Says |
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"The head of
the House Freedom
Caucus,
Republican
Rep. Andy
Biggs of
Arizona,
helped plan
the January
6 event that
culminated
in a
storming of
the Capitol,
according to
Ali
Alexander, a
lead
organizer of
the
gathering.
Alexander, a
pro-Trump
personality,
was an early
founder of
the “Stop
the Steal”
movement and
helped bring
together
various
right-wing
factions
around a
mass event
on January
6, aimed to
coincide
with
objections
to the
counting of
Electoral
College
votes.
Alexander
made his
claim in
three
separate
livestreams
in late
December,
adding that
Reps. Paul
Gosar of
Arizona and
Mo Brooks of
Alabama were
also
involved.
“We’re the
four guys
who came up
with a
January 6
event,”
Alexander
said. On
December 8,
the Arizona
Republican
Party
boosted
Alexander,
asking
supporters
if they were
willing to
give their
lives in the
fight over
the results
of the
presidential
election.
His claim is
also
buttressed
by a fourth
video from a
December 19
rally at the
Arizona
State
Capitol, at
which
Alexander
played a
video that
Biggs had
supplied. In
the video,
Biggs
mentions
Brooks as
his ally in
the fight.
Gosar spoke
in person at
the event." |
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Jan. 11,
2021 |
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House
Freedom Caucus
Members Move
From The
Fringe To
Power |
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"House Freedom
Caucus members
were
pariahs. But
as the lines
between the
Republican
fringe and
the
Republican
mainstream
blur, now
they're
ascendant." |
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Feb. 13,
2020 |
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