freedom caucus

<font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Amash ~ trump, attacked, bails</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">promote primary 6/18 on mueller, evil pending
</font><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">see Tea Party <b>meadows</b></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>
</b></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>see hard rt</b></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">see waste, fraud & abuse</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);">SEE 11 22 bak cocks</b></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">TRUMP COUP FAKE ELECTORS<b> 8 IN FREEDOM CAUCUS?</b> (MTG?)</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><div style="font-size: small;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style=""><b style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">perry head of freedom caucus</b><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">,</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"> used to headed by Mulvaney O</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">MB klukowski</span></font></div><div style="font-size: small;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);">
</font></div><div style="font-size: small;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);">perry denied, then proved?</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;3 more denied?</span></font></div><div style="font-size: small;"><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/06/23/5-takeaways-jan-6-hearing-trumps-doj-plot/" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none;">https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/06/23/5-takeaways-jan-6-hearing-trumps-doj-plot/</a></font></font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">wapo</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">June 23, 2022&nbsp;</font></p></div></div><div><div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">=</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">an 8 23</font></div><div><p style="color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Georgia, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">many of the most far-right House Republicans truly believe the propaganda and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.rawstory.com/u/jordan_green_special_to_raw_story?utm_campaign=SmartLinks" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="color: rgb(11, 13, 101); text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">extremism</a>&nbsp;that they promote – in stark contrast to others for whom it's just an act to get votes, a former RNC researcher said Thursday.</p><p style="color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Georgia, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">In an&nbsp;<a href="https://www.publicnotice.co/p/aaron-rupar-show-justin-higgins#details" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="color: rgb(11, 13, 101); text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">interview</a>&nbsp;on the Aaron Rupar Show, Justin Higgans argued the&nbsp;<b>true far-right believers — who have lately been&nbsp;<a href="https://www.rawstory.com/house-freedom-caucus-2662258570/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="color: rgb(11, 13, 101); text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">causing fractures and divisions</a>&nbsp;among GOP power caucuses — often end up tanking their own careers with their own inability to compromise.</b></p><div id="story_page_incontent_p2_target" style="color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Georgia, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;"><ins class="adsbygoogle" data-ad-client="ca-pub-5155643920455169" data-ad-slot="6339868799" data-ad-format="auto" data-full-width-responsive="true" style="background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-decoration-line: none; text-align: center; margin-bottom: 20px; display: block;" /></div><p style="color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Georgia, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">"A lot of Tea Party members, a lot of House Freedom Caucus members — that includes Ron DeSantis, he was one of those folks — don't believe what they're saying," Higgans told Rupar.</span></p><p style="color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Georgia, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">"So they will use these issues and, specifically, the two examples that come to mind are Mick Mulvaney and Mark Meadows. They use these talking points, they use the grassroots energy to advance themselves. Jim Jordan being a third. They advance themselves up the ranks, up the cable news shows, sometimes they become Chief of Staff of the White House."</span></p><p style="color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Georgia, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">On the other hand, Higgans said,&nbsp;<b>"There are some people that actually believe the crazy s--t that they say. And that is Tim Huelskamp, that is Paul Gosar. So they do have more integrity. However, they are very scary."</b></p><p style="color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Georgia, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">As an example, Higgans pointed to Huelskamp, who was ousted in 2016 from his Kansas district by doctor and businessman Roger Marshall, who later went on to be elected to the Senate.</p><p style="color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Georgia, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">"Huelskamp actually believed in cutting government spending, so he voted against the interests in his district, which is agriculture," said Higgans. "So time and time again, he voted against providing subsidies to agriculture companies, despite that being the overwhelming industry in his distri</span>ct.</p><p style="color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Georgia, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">"And as a result, nobody cared about any of the things that he said about immigration or the misogyny or the LGBTQ+ hatred. They only cared when the rubber met the road, it was only when he went against their financial interests, and a large enough coalition was able to come together and remove him for Roger Marshall. Guess what? Roger Marshall does not go against those interests. So it's all a kind of Kabuki theater, almost."</span></p></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div></div><div style=""><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">an 6 23</font></div><div style=""><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="" /><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style=""><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style=""><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style=""><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="">no lnx</font></font></font></font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><b>Some in House Freedom Caucus want to boot Marjorie Taylor Greene after adding new members: report</b></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, one of the most famous members of the far-right House Freedom Caucus, could be kicked out if some members get their way, according to a new Politico report.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Lawmakers in the House Freedom Caucus told Politico anonymously that some members have suggested the removal of others to the chair, Representative Scott Perry (R-PA).</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Though the sources didn’t name who could be on the chopping block, they “are signaling” to the outlet that Marjorie Taylor Greene is likely one member who would be given the boot. Perry said he denied the requests to kick out members, but Greene has become less popular among her caucusmates recently.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">READ MORE: House Freedom Caucus Republican: Trump Is Spinning Out of Control</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">This week, she referred to House Freedom Caucus Communications Chair Lauren Boebert (R-CO) as a “little bitch” on the House floor. The latest argument between Greene and Boebert is over Boebert’s attempt to force the House to vote on her resolution to impeach President Joe Biden over immigration issues. The issue isn’t that Boebert tried to impeach Biden, but rather that Greene says Boebert stole her idea.</span></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">“I had already introduced articles of impeachment on Joe Biden for the border, asked her to co-sponsor mine — she didn’t,” Greene said Wednesday. “She basically copied my articles and then introduced them and then changed them to a privileged resolution.”</span></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Boebert said she hadn’t read Greene’s resolution, NBC News reported. Specifically in response to Greene’s claims of copying off her, she said “I’m not in middle school.”</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><b>
</b></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><b>Another issue the House Freedom Caucus has with Greene is her newfound coziness with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy</b>. Though in her first term, she regularly butted heads with the then-minority leader, she allied with McCarthy in the fight for House Speaker following the last election when the Republicans gained a slim majority.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">“If you’re going to be in a fight, you want Marjorie in your foxhole,” Mr. McCarthy told the New York Times. “When she picks a fight, she’s going to fight until the fight’s over. She reminds me of my friends from high school, that we’re going to stick together all the way through.”</span></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Politico’s report comes 10 days after it was announced that<b>&nbsp;two new members, Diana Harshbarger (R-TN) and Eric Burlison (R-MO) were joining the House Freedom Caucus.&nbsp;</b><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">There are now 42 members of the House Freedom Caucus, and an additional four who have been endorsed by the House Freedom Fund</span>, the campaigning arm of the caucus.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a href="https://www.newsweek.com/who-house-freedom-caucus-full-list-members-after-midterms-results-1758547">https://www.newsweek.com/who-house-freedom-caucus-full-list-members-after-midterms-results-1758547</a></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style=""><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">no lnx</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">the House Freedom Caucus appears poised to play a major role in the next Congress after Republicans performed less well than was widely expected in Tuesday's midterm elections.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">The group of right-wing Republican members of the House of Representatives could wield significant influence if the GOP majority is slim, though control of the House has not yet been determined.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">The exact composition of the House Freedom Caucus in the next Congress is also not yet clear as some races have yet to be decided. Representative Lauren Boebert, a prominent member, is locked in a tight race in Colorado's 3rd district against Democrat Adam Frisch.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Representative Yvette Herrell has conceded her race to her Democratic opponent, while Representative David Schweikert is also in a tough race, and it remains unclear if he will be re-elected.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Representative Ted Budd has successfully been elected to the U.S. Senate in North Carolina and will therefore not be in the House from January.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Representatives Mo Brooks, Jody Hice and Louie Gohmert are leaving the House at the end of the current Congress. Representative Madison Cawthorn was defeated in his primary and will not serve in the next Congress.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">The House Freedom Fund—the campaign arm of the Freedom Caucus—endorsed several candidates who have now been elected and may be expected to join the group. Though a red wave did not materialize, the House Freedom Caucus is likely to play a major role in the House where new members could rise to prominence.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Not all the races with candidates backed by the House Freedom Fund have been decided. This list will be updated when more results become available.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Here is a list of current and potential members of Congress of the House Freedom Caucus.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">READ MORE</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">A Republican victory in the House ties Biden's hands on China, Russia, Iran</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Video of Joe Biden laughing about Trump's future goes viral</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Donald Trump was just murdered by his favorite newspaper</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Elected Members in the 117th Congress</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Rep. Scott Perry (PA)</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Rep. Lauren Boebert (CO)</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Rep. Chip Roy (TX)</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Rep. Jim Jordan (OH)</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Rep. Warren Davidson (OH)</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Rep. Andy Biggs (AZ)</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Rep. Dan Bishop (NC)</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Rep. Mo Brooks (AL)</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Rep. Ken Buck (CO)</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Rep. Ted Budd (NC)</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Rep. Madison Cawthorn (NC)</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Rep. Ben Cline (VA)</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Rep. Michael Cloud (TX)</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Rep. Andrew Clyde (GA)</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Rep. Scott DesJarlais (TN)</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Rep. Byron Donalds (FL)</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Rep. Jeff Duncan (SC)</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Rep. Russ Fulcher (ID)</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Rep. Louie Gohmert (TX)</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Rep. Bob Good (VA)</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Rep. Paul Gosar (AZ)</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Rep. Mark Green (TN)</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (GA)</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Rep. Morgan Griffith (VA)</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Rep. Andy Harris (MD)</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Rep. Diana Harshbarger (TN)</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Rep. Yvette Herrell (NM)</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Rep. Jody Hice (GA)</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Rep. Clay Higgins (LA)</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Rep. Debbie Lesko (AZ)</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Rep. Mary Miller (IL)</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Rep. Alex Mooney (WV)</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Rep. Barry Moore (AL)</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Rep. Ralph Norman (SC)</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Rep. Gary Palmer (AL)</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Rep. Bill Posey (FL)</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Rep. Matt Rosendale (MT)</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Rep. David Schweikert (AZ)</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Rep. Greg Steube (FL)</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Rep. Tom Tiffany (WI)</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Rep. Randy Weber (TX)</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">New Members Endorsed By House Freedom Fund</span></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Josh Brecheen (OK)</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Eli Crane (AZ)</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><b>
</b></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><b>Anna Paulina Luna (FL)</b></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Max Miller (OH)</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Newsweek has asked the House Freedom Fund for comment.</div></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">FROM YOUR SITE ARTICLES</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">'It’s a crime': Legal experts say Marjorie Taylor Greene may have admitted to violating federal law ›</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Marjorie Taylor Greene blurts out potentially classified info: 'I’m not going to be confidential' ›</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Marjorie Taylor Greene tells Jewish non-profit CEO that abortion rights enable white supremacy ›</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">RELATED ARTICLES AROUND THE WEB</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Marjorie Taylor Greene introduces Biden impeachment articles ›</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Marjorie Taylor Greene: QAnon Supporter Who Made Bigoted ... ›</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">The Problem of Marjorie Taylor Greene - The New York Times ›</div></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">=</font></div></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">an 2 23 salon</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><p style="color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Georgia, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">How does a Republican congressman from central Pennsylvania — who is currently facing a federal investigation after allegedly spitballing ideas for a "<a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/12/trumps-coup-before-january-6/620998/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="color: rgb(11, 13, 101); text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">paperwork coup</a>" on behalf of Donald Trump — wind up with a committee seat that could allow him to see open Justice Department files about himself? Meet&nbsp;<a href="https://www.salon.com/2022/12/19/jan-6-committee-refers-to-doj-for-prosecution--and-moves-to-sanction-4/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="color: rgb(11, 13, 101); text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">Rep. Scott Perry</a>, the&nbsp;<b>retired Army National Guard brigadier general</b>&nbsp;who is now&nbsp;</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);">one of the most powerful members of Congress</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">. He didn't get there alone.</span></p><p style="color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Georgia, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);"><a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/30/politics/house-intervene-scott-perry-phone-doj/index.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="color: rgb(11, 13, 101); text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">Last week</a>, a bipartisan group of lawmakers -- including&nbsp;<b>House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, of New York, and Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, of California -- voted unanimously to prevent the Justice Department from accessing Perry's&nbsp;<a href="https://www.salon.com/2022/08/11/relentless-pace-republicans-week-gets-worse-as-fbi-drops-subpoenas-on-pennsylvania/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="color: rgb(11, 13, 101); text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">cell phone</a>&nbsp;contents</b>&nbsp;in its wider probe of Donald Trump's 2020 election-subversion efforts.</span></p><p style="color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Georgia, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">That's only the latest turn of good luck for the embattled Perry, who's fought the DOJ's effort since the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.salon.com/2022/08/10/gestapo-tactics-greene-boebert-worry-after-fbi-seizes-phone-of-congressman-linked-to-big-lie/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="color: rgb(11, 13, 101); text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">FBI seized</a>&nbsp;his cell phone last August. On&nbsp;<a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2023/01/30/secret-hold-doj-phone-trump-scott-perry-00080233" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="color: rgb(11, 13, 101); text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">Jan. 5</a>, a three-judge appeals court panel -- including two Trump appointees -- put a hold on a lower court's ruling, delaying DOJ access further.</p><p style="color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Georgia, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">But the House's latest move to back Perry against the DOJ highlights the fact that, unlikely as this may seem, both the&nbsp;<b style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);">far-right House Freedom Caucus he now leads&nbsp;</b>and the Democrats he views as his sworn enemies paved the way for his rise to power.</p><h2 style="color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Georgia, sans-serif;"><strong>Sewers to swamps</strong></h2><p style="color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Georgia, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">It seems improbable now that Perry, whose record of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.salon.com/2022/05/13/coup-plotters-stand-firm--but-doj-and-the-jan-6-committee-are-closing-in/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="color: rgb(11, 13, 101); text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">wide-swinging claims</a>&nbsp;goes back well before 2020, could have climbed the party ranks so quickly.</span></p><p style="color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Georgia, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Perry once recklessly suggested,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ydr.com/story/news/2018/01/19/u-s-rep-scott-perry-las-vegas-attack-smell-rat/1047370001/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="color: rgb(11, 13, 101); text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">on live air</a>, that ISIS was responsible for the 2018 mass shooting in Las Vegas. On another occasion, he accused then-CNN host Chris Cuomo of fabricating the extent of devastation in Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria&nbsp;<a href="https://www.inquirer.com/philly/news/politics/puerto-rico-hurricane-maria-trump-cnn-death-toll-scott-perry-20171012.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="color: rgb(11, 13, 101); text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">in 2017</a>.</span></p><p style="color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Georgia, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><b>In a 2017 town hall meeting, Perry reportedly once blamed pollution on the almighty</b>. While defending proposed budget cuts to the Environmental Protection Agency, Perry criticized the agency's Chesapeake Bay cleanup plans, claiming only certain polluters were targeted while other culprits were unfairly ignored</span>.</p><p style="color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Georgia, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">"If you are spiritual and you believe in God, one of the violators was God because t<b>he forests were providing a certain amount of nitrates and phosphates to the Chesapeake Bay</b>,"&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ydr.com/story/opinion/columnists/mike-argento/2017/03/26/scott-perry-and-god-column/99525248/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="color: rgb(11, 13, 101); text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">he said</a>.</span></p><p style="color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Georgia, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">That claim, unsurprisingly, was debunked by experts who note that water-side trees provide pollution runoff protection. But his divine deflection may have been less surprising to his constituents.</span></p><p style="color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Georgia, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);">Perry was running his family's business, Hydrotech Mechanical Services,&nbsp;<a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20141013212839/http://www.post-gazette.com/news/politics-state/2010/11/14/Arrest-records-of-state-lawmakers-raise-questions-of-standards/stories/201011140255" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="color: rgb(11, 13, 101); text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">in 2002</a>&nbsp;when the company was caught dumping sewage sludge onto the banks of Stony Run Creek in south-central Pennsylvania</span>.&nbsp;<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">The state charged Perry with altering chemical-monitoring documents and he narrowly avoided a felony conviction. Instead, his company paid a $5,000 fine and Perry completed the state's Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition in what he called a "last-minute, at-the-courtroom deal that was never supposed to happen, but it did.</span>"</p><p style="color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Georgia, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">It wouldn't be the last time Perry would face accusations of hiding evidence.</p><h2 style="color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Georgia, sans-serif;"><strong>Fireside chats</strong></h2><p style="color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Georgia, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);">In the months after Trump's 2020 electoral defeat, former chief of staff Mark Meadows kept his office fireplace well-kindled. The fire was lit first thing in the morning by staff, his former&nbsp;<a href="https://d3i6fh83elv35t.cloudfront.net/static/2022/12/Report_FinalReport_Jan6SelectCommittee.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="color: rgb(11, 13, 101); text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">aide testified</a>, then heaped with logs throughout the day. And every so often, Meadows would walk over to his fireplace, remove its covering, and throw a few&nbsp;<a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2022/05/26/meadows-burned-papers-meeting-scott-perry-00035411" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="color: rgb(11, 13, 101); text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">documents into the fire</a></span>.</p><p style="color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Georgia, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;"><b>Meadows had been the chair of the House Freedom Caucus until 2019, a post Perry now holds, and the two men knew each other&nbsp;<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">well</span></b><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">. Perry had begun having meetings with Meadows that December, the aide said, arriving with physical papers and PowerPoint presentations to discuss former Vice President Mike Pence's role in certifying the 2020 election results — and what Perry "believed could happen on Jan. 6."</span></p><p style="color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Georgia, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Eventually, Perry brought a few others to meet with Meadows, the aide said. With the fireplace lit and a room full of warm bodies, Meadows left his office door propped open. The aide saw Perry and the others inside, and saw<b>&nbsp;Meadows again burning documents.</b></span></p><p style="color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Georgia, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Perry's spokesman has denied he was ever part of these discussions, citing a Jan. 6 tweet from the congressman condemning the violence at the Capitol. But just hours after the attack, Perry joined other Republicans on the House floor in a failed attempt to prevent his own state's electoral votes from being counted. Perry would then spend months parroting Trump's baseless claims of election theft, arguing that Pennsylvania's 7 million votes should be thrown out.</span></p><p style="color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Georgia, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">Ultimately, the same aide who saw Perry leave Meadows' office amid the presumed or apparent destruction of documents would testify that Perry was among several members of Congress who had asked for her help in securing a preemptive presidential pardon. Perry has denied this, although not under oath.</p><h2 style="color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Georgia, sans-serif;"><strong>Perry's Democratic hall pass</strong></h2><p style="color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Georgia, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Eventually, members of the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 events developed a clearer picture of Perry's role in Trump's failed bid to overturn the 2020 election results.</span></p><p style="color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Georgia, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">In a trove of texts leaked in December 2022, Perry and Meadows' 2020 exchanges surfaced, illuminating an array of schemes and outlandish notions aimed at reversing Trump's defeat. Perry sent&nbsp;<a href="https://www.yahoo.com/now/pure-insanity-scott-perry-pushed-224242773.html" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="color: rgb(11, 13, 101); text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">YouTube conspiracy-theory videos</a>&nbsp;about election-meddling Italian satellites, asking Meadows why the Italian government couldn't help the group's cause. Perry suggested seizing voting machines with a "cyber forensic team" after the election, and putting them under lock and key.</span></p><p style="color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Georgia, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Perry went on to urge Meadows to get Acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen replaced with a Trump-friendly figure in the DOJ, Jeffrey Clark. After Trump ordered Rosen to declare the election corrupt,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/Interim%20Staff%20Report%20FINAL.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="color: rgb(11, 13, 101); text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">Rosen refused</a>. Trump responded by threatening to replace Rosen with Clark, who'd concocted a plan to help overturn the election results, but the then-president backed down from after a fiery meeting where several DOJ officials and Trump's own White House counsel, Pat Cipollone, threatened to quit in response. Those exchanges are now part of the reason the DOJ wants access to Perry's cell phone contents</span>.</p><p style="color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Georgia, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);">But back in July of 2022,&nbsp;<b>House Oversight Committee</b>&nbsp;members knew significantly less about Perry's role.<b>&nbsp;They subpoenaed Perry, who responded by denying the legitimacy of the committee he now sits on, and refused to testify.</b></span></p><p style="color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Georgia, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">The committee's chair at the time, Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., had the authority to file contempt charges against Perry. But as CNN's Manu Raju reported, Raskin seemed to have "little appetite to refer House Republicans who defy subpoenas to DOJ on contempt charges -- saying it could lead to 'wild goose chases.'</p><p style="color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Georgia, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">"I don't know that Congress can take a member of Congress to court under the speech or debate clause," Raskin said, referring to Perry's defense that his cell phone conversations were immune from collection. "But our point here is not to come up with, you know, a dozen new dazzling theories to end up in a lot of wild goose chases all over the land."</p><p style="color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Georgia, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">"Our point is to bring back a report to the American people to Congress about what happened to us," Raskin told Raju.</p><p style="color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Georgia, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Rather than facing contempt charges, Perry was referred to the House Ethics Committee, along with other members who refused to obey subpoena orders. But with a Republican majority in the House and Kevin McCarthy holding the speaker's gavel, both the Ethics Committee and the House ethics review office have become partisan chokepoints.</span></p><p style="color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Georgia, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">These days, Raskin sees Trump's indictment as imminent.</span>
</p><p style="color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Georgia, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">"We think there will be charges probably on some things we didn't even have, because we don't have all of the prosecutorial resources that the Department of Justice has, and so we think they probably collected a lot more evidence than we got," he told&nbsp;<a href="https://news.yahoo.com/jamie-raskin-forecasts-trumps-legal-035146580.htm" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="color: rgb(11, 13, 101); text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">MSNBC on Friday</a>.</p><p style="color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Georgia, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">Even if Raskin's prediction is correct, Perry's role in Trump's Jan. 6 plans may remain under a shroud of congressional secrecy. The party whose subpoenas he once dodged now, for its own reasons, has Perry's back in his tug-of-war with the DOJ.</p><p style="color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Georgia, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">On Feb. 23, the DOJ will get its chance to ask an appeals court in Washington for access to Perry's phone contents. House Democratic leaders will once again fight to keep Perry's evidence from coming out at all.</span></p></div><div>=</div></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">an 12 22</font></div><div><p style="color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Georgia, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">after the 2020 presidential election, Rep. Scott Perry was among Pennsylvania’s most vocal promoters of the Big Lie. Perry falsely claimed that widespread voter fraud occurred in the Keystone State — a claim that has been repeatedly debunked — and pushed for its electoral votes to be taken away from the Democrat who legitimately won the state: now-President Joe Biden.</span></p><p style="color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Georgia, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">Then, after the January 6, 2021 insurrection, Perry (who<b>&nbsp;</b><b><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);">chairs the far-right House Freedom Caucus</span>) asked outgoing then-President Donald Trump for a&nbsp;<a href="https://triblive.com/news/politics-election/rep-scott-perry-asked-trump-for-a-pardon-after-jan-6-committee-leader-says-as-hearings-open/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="color: rgb(11, 13, 101); text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">preemptive pardon</a></b><b>,</b>&nbsp;according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.</p><p style="color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Georgia, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) is continuing to investigate the January 6, 2021 insurrection and the events that led up to it. After the 2022 midterms, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed a special counsel, Jack Smith, to head the investigation. And the DOJ, CNN reports, is trying to “gain access” to text messages that Perry sent during that late 2020/early 2021 lame duck period as part of that probe.</p><p style="color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Georgia, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;"><strong>READ MORE:</strong>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.alternet.org/2022/06/congresswoman-scott-perry-january-6th" target="self" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="color: rgb(11, 13, 101); text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;"><strong>Democratic Congresswoman explains why Rep. Scott Perry is 'mighty afraid' of Jan. 6 Committee</strong></a></p><p style="color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Georgia, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">CNN’s Katelyn Polantz, in an&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/12/13/politics/scott-perry-text-messages/index.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="color: rgb(11, 13, 101); text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">article published on December 14</a>, explains, “<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">The investigative work, now overseen by Special Counsel Jack Smith, is significant given that Perry texted then-White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows about advice from a ‘cyber forensic team’&nbsp;</span>he was in touch with after the 2020 election. Perry believed election security was compromised, contributing to Donald Trump’s loss of the presidency, and&nbsp;<b>wanted to preserve voting machines after the election. That led the Pennsylvania lawmaker to be in touch with powerful Trump backers, including (former White House Chief of Staff Mark) Meadows, Justice Department official Jeffrey Clark and others who pushed false claims of election fraud.”</b></p><p style="color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Georgia, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">In a text sent to Meadows on November 10, 2020, Perry, according to Polantz, wrote, “Plz tell every state senior that they need to 1. Preserve the specific voting machines (scanners)…. Please ensure widest dissemination and action.”</p><p style="color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Georgia, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">Polantz reports, “Perry’s communications with Meadows suggest the congressman was keen to disseminate the same types of direction to others. He then asked Meadows for contacts in Wisconsin and Arizona, and<b>&nbsp;<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);">Meadows later referred him to another Republican member of Congress, Texas Republican Rep. Chip Roy</span></b>…. CNN first reported in the spring on the Meadows texts, after obtaining 2319 text messages that Meadows had sent and received between Election Day 2020 and the 2021 inauguration. The texts were among those selectively provided by Meadows to the House select committee investigating the January 6, 2021 insurrection.”</p><p style="color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Georgia, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">In August 2022, DOJ investigators “seized” Perry’s cell phone “as part of” its January 6 investigation.</p><p style="color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Georgia, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;"><strong>READ MORE:&nbsp;</strong><a href="https://www.alternet.org/commentary/john-roberts/?utm_source=push_notifications" target="self" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="color: rgb(11, 13, 101); text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;"><strong>Republican who had phone seized suggests he would have destroyed it if there was Jan. 6 evidence</strong></a></p><p style="color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Georgia, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">“Perry sued the Justice Department days after the search, then quickly asked the court to put the public-facing lawsuit on hold,” Polantz notes. “The Justice Department approached Perry’s phone seizure and other phone seizures from Trump allies in two parts, according to sources familiar with the investigation and public filings. DOJ would image the phone through an initial warrant and then seek a second warrant through confidential court proceedings to access the data…. Perry, according to his lawsuit, t<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">ried to hold off federal investigators from accessing his phone data by claiming some of it was personal or protected by the Constitution’s Speech or Debate Clause, which protects the work of members of Congress.”</span></p><p style="color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Georgia, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;"><strong>READ MORE:&nbsp;</strong><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2022/10/rick-perry" target="self" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="color: rgb(11, 13, 101); text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;"><strong>Scott Perry quietly drops lawsuit against FBI after his cell phone records were seized</strong></a></p></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div><div><p style="color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Georgia, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">The Democrat’s surprising strength in the midterms has been framed mostly as a rebuke of Republicans’ attack on&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/10/us/abortion-ballot-midterm-elections.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="color: rgb(11, 13, 101); text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">abortion rights</a>&nbsp;and on&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sacbee.com/opinion/article268527147.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="color: rgb(11, 13, 101); text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">democracy</a>. The&nbsp;<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">GOP’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/07/briefing/republican-party-putin-wing.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="color: rgb(11, 13, 101); text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">flirtation</a>&nbsp;with imperial oligarchic Russian leader Vladimir Putin has, in contrast, received little attention.</span></p><p style="color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Georgia, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">That’s not exactly a mistake. Foreign policy rarely drives many votes, and the war between Russia and Ukraine was never a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2022/11/03/key-facts-about-u-s-voter-priorities-ahead-of-the-2022-midterm-elections/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="color: rgb(11, 13, 101); text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">top issue</a>&nbsp;for voters or for candidates on the campaign trail.</span></p><p style="color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Georgia, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);">And yet the Democratic midterm strength serves as a powerful defeat not just for the GOP, but for Putin. Republican losses in the Senate and narrow gains in the House all but guarantee that the US will continue to lead international support for Ukraine.</span></p><p style="color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Georgia, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;"><strong>READ MORE:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.alternet.org/2022/11/russia-republicans-a-political-halloween/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="self" title="view post: Russian propagandists are hoping for 'a political Halloween' if Republicans win the midterms: report" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="color: rgb(11, 13, 101); text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">Russian propagandists are hoping for 'a political Halloween' if Republicans win the midterms: report</a></strong></p><p style="color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Georgia, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;"><strong>GOP Putinistas</strong></p><p style="color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Georgia, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);">The GOP has been divided on aid for Ukraine. An older, more traditional wing of the party, steeped in Reaganite Cold War antagonism to the Soviet Union, has supported the (much more justified) Ukrainian war against Russia imperial invasion.</span></p><p style="color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Georgia, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);"><b>But there’s another wing that’s openly pro-Putin.</b></span></p><p style="color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Georgia, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);">Putin has long cultivated ties with&nbsp;<a href="https://www.vice.com/en/article/dy7y8q/vladimir-putin-russia-far-right" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="color: rgb(11, 13, 101); text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">far-right nationalist groups globally</a>, portraying himself as a defender of manly tradition through&nbsp;<a href="https://www.vox.com/2015/6/17/8796659/vladimir-putin-shirtless-video" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="color: rgb(11, 13, 101); text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">shirtless iconography</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.hrw.org/report/2018/12/12/no-support/russias-gay-propaganda-law-imperils-lgbt-youth" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="color: rgb(11, 13, 101); text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">vicious homophobic policies</a>.</span></p><p style="color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Georgia, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;"><strong>READ MORE:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.alternet.org/2022/11/support-for-ukraine-could-dwindle/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="self" title="view post: Why support for Ukraine could dwindle in the final months of 2022" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="color: rgb(11, 13, 101); text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">Why support for Ukraine could dwindle in the final months of 2022</a></strong></p><p style="color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Georgia, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">He saw a potential ally in wannabe-authoritarian Donald Trump, and tried to aid his campaigns in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/18/us/politics/senate-intelligence-russian-interference-report.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="color: rgb(11, 13, 101); text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">2016</a>&nbsp;and (less successfully) in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.npr.org/2021/03/16/977958302/intelligence-report-russia-tried-to-help-trump-in-2020-election" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="color: rgb(11, 13, 101); text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">2020</a>.</p><p style="color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Georgia, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">Trump reciprocated by&nbsp;<a href="https://www.politico.com/story/2016/12/donald-trump-praises-vladimir-putin-tweet-233072" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="color: rgb(11, 13, 101); text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">praising Putin</a>&nbsp;consistently over the last six years. Most recently, he called the Russian invasion of Ukraine “<a href="https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/donald-trumps-gushing-praise-vladimir-putin-matters-rcna17315" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="color: rgb(11, 13, 101); text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">genius” and “wonderful</a>.”</p><p style="color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Georgia, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">Trump’s enthusiasm has affected his partisans.</p><p style="color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Georgia, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Between 2015 and 2017, GOP opinions of Putin went up 20 points from&nbsp;<a href="https://news.gallup.com/poll/204191/putin-image-rises-mostly-among-republicans.aspx" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="color: rgb(11, 13, 101); text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">12 percent favorability to 32 percent favorable</a>. A February poll found that Putin’s favorables among Republicans were&nbsp;<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/02/23/republicans-view-putin-more-favorably-than-they-do-leading-democrats/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="color: rgb(11, 13, 101); text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">higher than those of Democratic President Joe Biden</a>.</span></p><p style="color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Georgia, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">It’s not just the rank-and-file either. Fox News far-right host Tucker Carlson has&nbsp;<a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/how-tucker-carlson-is-boosting-russias-new-propaganda-war" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="color: rgb(11, 13, 101); text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">ceaselessly pumped out pro-Putin propaganda</a>&nbsp;since the invasion of Ukraine in February. So has Carlson’s frequent guest, erstwhile progressive and current far-right shill&nbsp;<a href="https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2022/03/tucker-carlson-glenn-greenwald-coping-russia-ukraine-wrong-wrong-wrong.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="color: rgb(11, 13, 101); text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">Glenn Greenwald</a>.</span></p><p style="color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Georgia, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Many in the GOP conference have followed along. In the House, the chair of the rabid&nbsp;<b>more-MAGA-than-thou Freedom Caucus, Scott Perry, wants to investigate, and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.axios.com/2022/10/18/ukraine-peace-talks-republican-biden-investigation" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="color: rgb(11, 13, 101); text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">potentially spike</a>, US aid to Ukraine.</b></span></p><p style="color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Georgia, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy&nbsp;<a href="https://news.yahoo.com/mccarthy-no-blank-check-ukraine-201152336.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly9uZXdyZXB1YmxpYy5jb20v&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAI8UTg8MzkfiVSZ89tjfvZX2DRso2OxDc4t1JIzJOFfs6SZBunpP2pi_Nh-Iwskbsb5aV-KvERqCAs_sKHI_Pr1Q72U6ZEAgTQcopyg7VVr0DALmp3IMRvuMg6FcCbF_DFUB9hmBeLapvFGx5Tow0-ZxhZLDtHNt3ETMlU1gqAk" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="color: rgb(11, 13, 101); text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">signaled</a>&nbsp;support for Perry in an interview in October: “I think people are gonna be sitting in a recession and they’re not going to write a blank check to Ukraine.”</span></p><p style="color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Georgia, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">In&nbsp;<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">May, 57 House Republicans&nbsp;<a href="https://americanindependent.com/house-republicans-ukraine-aid-russia-vladimir-putin/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="color: rgb(11, 13, 101); text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">voted against</a>&nbsp;$40 billion in aid to Ukraine. Eleven senators joined them, including&nbsp;<a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/3495060-here-are-the-11-republican-senators-who-voted-against-the-ukraine-aid-bill/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="color: rgb(11, 13, 101); text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">Rand Paul and Josh Hawley</a>.</span></p><p style="color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Georgia, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">In addition, one of the few midterm contests focused on foreign policy was that of JD Vance, the Ohio Republican Senator-elect, boosted by fash-curious tech billionaire Peter Thiel, who made&nbsp;<a href="https://newrepublic.com/article/168262/kevin-mccarthy-gop-ukraine-aid" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="color: rgb(11, 13, 101); text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">opposition to Ukraine a centerpiece of his campaign</a>.</span></p><p style="color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Georgia, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;"><strong>Republicans are split</strong></p><p style="color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Georgia, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">With far-right Putinophilia bubbling up from the MAGA swamp, observers believed Biden might have real trouble continuing support for Ukraine. Reports suggest Russia put off announcing its retreat from Kherson&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/15/politics/us-intelligence-russia-withdrawal-midterm-election/index.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="color: rgb(11, 13, 101); text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">until after the midterms</a>&nbsp;because Putin did not want news of a Ukrainian victory to bolster Democrats.</p><p style="color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Georgia, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">Republicans who support Ukrainian aid were reportedly nervous that they’d be&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/10/26/politics/kevin-mccarthy-house-gop-ukraine-funding-blank-check" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="color: rgb(11, 13, 101); text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">undercut</a>&nbsp;in a GOP-controlled House. Biden was floating a Ukrainian aid package in the lame-duck session of the Congress, anticipating that&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/10/26/politics/kevin-mccarthy-house-gop-ukraine-funding-blank-check" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="color: rgb(11, 13, 101); text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">further funding might be blocked</a>.</p><p style="color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Georgia, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">Democrats may still vote on a Ukraine funding bill. But prospects for aid in the new Congress have significantly improved.</p><p style="color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Georgia, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">First of all, Democrats retained control of the Senate. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has&nbsp;<a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/3696451-gop-leaders-mcconnell-mccarthy-headed-for-collision-on-ukraine-aid/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="color: rgb(11, 13, 101); text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">strongly supported aid</a>&nbsp;for Ukraine. Even so, his conference is unpredictable, and the Democrats are in a much better position to buttress Biden’s foreign policy priorities than they would have been had they lost the chamber.</p><p style="color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Georgia, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">Democrats did lose the House — but it was very close. The GOP majority is likely to be somewhere between&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cookpolitical.com/analysis/house/house-overview/republicans-headed-narrow-majority-11-uncalled-races-remain" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="color: rgb(11, 13, 101); text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">220-215 and 222-213</a>.</p><p style="color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Georgia, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">McCarthy — or&nbsp;<a href="https://www.npr.org/2022/11/15/1136811629/mccarthy-nominated-house-speaker-gop-republicans" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="color: rgb(11, 13, 101); text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">whoever the GOP chooses as speaker</a>&nbsp;— is will block many Democratic initiatives on abortion rights, voting rights and much else. Ukrainian aid is different, though. That’s an issue that sharply divides McCarthy’s own caucus. Even if he wanted to, he’s not going to be able to win a vote striking down Ukrainian aid.</span></p><p style="color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Georgia, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">And if he were to try, the Democrats&nbsp;<a href="https://indivisible.org/resource/legislative-process-101-discharge-petitions" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="color: rgb(11, 13, 101); text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">could likely get enough GOP support</a>&nbsp;to bring it to the floor without his say-so.</p><p style="color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Georgia, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">Opposition to aid would likely expose huge fissures in the Republican caucus and lead to an embarrassing defeat for the speaker.</p><p style="color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Georgia, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;"><strong>Stepping away, domestically</strong></p><p style="color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Georgia, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">If the GOP were a normal party, that would be the end of that.</p><p style="color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Georgia, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">But the conference is neither normal, so there are caveats.</p><p style="color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Georgia, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">Representatives like Marjorie Taylor Greene, Jim Jordan and Matt Gaetz hate their more moderate Republican colleagues almost as much as they hate Democrats. They might oppose Ukrainian aid precisely because they know it would put their own speaker in an impossible and humiliating position.</p><p style="color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Georgia, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">So there could be bumps in the road.</p><p style="color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Georgia, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">The bottom line is that after their weak showing in the midterms, the Trumpy GOP pro-Putin wing doesn’t have the leverage to successfully advance their dream of global totalitarianism.</p><p style="color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Georgia, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">The defeat of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/nov/15/republican-election-deniers-lose-midterm-elections" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="color: rgb(11, 13, 101); text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">election deniers</a>&nbsp;in races for governor and secretary of state across the country means that the US has taken a step back from authoritarianism — domestically.</p><p style="color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Georgia, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;"><strong>READ MORE:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.alternet.org/2022/10/kevin-mccarthy-blank-check/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="self" title="view post: Writer schools Kevin McCarthy on why Ukraine aid isn’t a 'blank check'" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="color: rgb(11, 13, 101); text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">Writer schools Kevin McCarthy on why Ukraine aid isn’t a 'blank check'</a></strong></p></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">=</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2022/11/kevin-mccarthy/">
</a></font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2022/11/kevin-mccarthy/">https://www.alternet.org/2022/11/kevin-mccarthy/</a></font></div><div style=""><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">an 922</font></div><div style=""><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Georgia, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">A former investigator for the House Select Committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection recently&nbsp;<b>expressed concern about Reps. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) and Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) repeated echoing of former President Donald Trump.</b></span></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Georgia, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><b>In fact, he believes the lawmakers' support of the former president's&nbsp;<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/louie-gohmert-paul-gosar-are-crazy-conspiracy-theorists-denver-riggleman-2022-9" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="color: rgb(11, 13, 101); text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">"unhinged conspiracy theories"</a>&nbsp;has convinced him that they are both detached from reality and adamant about ignoring facts.</b></span></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Georgia, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">According to Business Insider, former January 6 House committee investigator Denver Riggleman laid out his arguments in his new book, "<a href="https://affiliate.insider.com/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FBreach-Untold-Story-Investigation-January%2Fdp%2F1250866766%2F&amazonTrackingID=biauto-57289-20&site=bi&vikingID=633301dd930554792b21a0f4&platform=browser&sc=false&disabled=false&sessionID=16642956344279py3p4tc&tag=bisafetynet2-20" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="color: rgb(11, 13, 101); text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">The Breach: The Untold Story of the Investigation into January 6th</a>."</span></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Georgia, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;"><strong>READ MORE:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.alternet.org/2022/02/adam-kinzinger-slams-self-aggrandizing-con-artist-josh-hawley-as-one-of-the-worst-human-beings-following-ukraine-comments/" target="self" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="color: rgb(11, 13, 101); text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">GOP rep slams 'self-aggrandizing con artist' Josh Hawley: 'One of the worst human beings'</a></strong></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Georgia, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);">He also expressed concern about the lawmakers' mental health. "I came to believe Gosar and Gohmert may have had serious cognitive issues,</span>" Riggleman wrote in his book.</p><p style="color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Georgia, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Riggleman's criticism, per Insider, is a result of "</span><span style="background-color: rgb(204, 102, 0);">absorbing all the wild ideas the conservative duo would throw around while they huddled with other members of the<b style="">&nbsp;far-right House Freedom Caucus."</b></span></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Georgia, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">His remarks, per the news outlet, also coincide with a poll included in its "<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/gerontocracy-united-states-government-red-white-gray-2022-9" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="color: rgb(11, 13, 101); text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">Red, White, and Gray</a>" project, described as an exploration of "life in a democracy helmed by those of advanced age."</p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Georgia, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">In excerpts of the book referenced by The Guardian, Riggleman wrote that the Republican lawmakers "seemed to be joined at the brain stem when it came to their eagerness to believe wild, dramatic fantasies about Democrats, the media and big tech."</p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Georgia, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;"><strong>READ MORE:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.alternet.org/2022/06/house-republicans-donald-trump-pardons/" target="self" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="color: rgb(11, 13, 101); text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">'Astounding': Ex-GOP Congressman stunned at House Republicans for seeking pardons from Donald Trump</a></strong></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Georgia, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">The results of the poll suggest many Americans support the idea of Congressional candidates undergoing medical exams to ensure they are fit for office.</p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Georgia, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">According to the poll, "Eighty-one percent of respondents said they support subjecting congressional candidates to physical and mental exams before they're allowed to serve — an issue that's already on voters' minds as the 2024 presidential race takes shape."</p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Georgia, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;"><strong>READ MORE:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.alternet.org/2022/06/trump-pardons/" target="self" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="color: rgb(11, 13, 101); text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">'Who were they?' Jan. 6 panel to name Republicans who sought pardons from Trump</a></strong></p></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div></div><div style=""><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">dirty trick</font></p><div style=""><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Georgia, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">an 9 22 badash</p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Georgia, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;"><b>More than 50 House and Senate Republicans are&nbsp;<a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/house/3650971-house-senate-conservatives-gop-shouldnt-give-lame-duck-democrats-power-in-funding-bill/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="color: rgb(11, 13, 101); text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">joining in an effort to disenfranchise “lame duck” Democrats</a>&nbsp;in the House and Senate to prevent them from voting on critical budget legislation, but not trying to apply the same standard to their fellow GOP lawmakers.</b></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Georgia, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;"><b>In a move that sounds somewhat like what Senator Mitch McConnell did to&nbsp;<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">derail Merrick Garland’s Supreme Court appointment,</span></b>&nbsp;the far-right Republicans are urging their colleagues to block any budget bill until a new Congress is sworn in, hoping Democrats lose control of one or both branches of Congress.“</p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Georgia, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">The Monday letters come as Congress has 10 days to take action before government funding runs out at the end of the fiscal year after Sept. 30,” The Hill reports.</p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Georgia, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">READ MORE:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.thenewcivilrightsmovement.com/2022/09/biden-approval-soars-as-trumps-sinks/" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="color: rgb(11, 13, 101); text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">Biden Approval Soars as Trump’s Sinks</a></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Georgia, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">“We must not accept anything short of a ‘clean’ Continuing Resolution (‘CR’) that contains no additional spending or extraneous policy riders,” writes&nbsp;<b>Sen. Mike Lee</b>&nbsp;(R-UT) in the Senate GOP’s letter. “At a minimum, any agreement on a clean CR must carry over into the beginning of the 118th Congress. Failure to stand strong against lame-duck spending and caving to the Democrats will likely worsen inflation,<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">&nbsp;prolong the current economic recession, and advance policies contained in the Biden administration’s progressive wish-list.”</span></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Georgia, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2022/08/25/richard-thaler-says-nothing-in-us-economy-resembles-a-recession-.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="color: rgb(11, 13, 101); text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">U.S. is not in a recession</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/JimPethokoukis/status/1571937011946377218" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="color: rgb(11, 13, 101); text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">nor is one expected</a>&nbsp;in the coming months.</span></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Georgia, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">The House letter is even more extreme.</p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Georgia, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">READ MORE:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.thenewcivilrightsmovement.com/2022/09/ignoring-the-truth-is-not-a-path-forward-critics-warn-on-trumps-rally-uncanny-resemblance-to-nazi-salute/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="color: rgb(11, 13, 101); text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">‘Ignoring the Truth Is Not a Path Forward’: Critics Warn on Trump’s Rally – ‘Uncanny Resemblance’ to ‘Nazi Salute’</a></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Georgia, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">“Federal dollars are fueling rampant inflation and funding the<b>&nbsp;Biden administration’s radical agenda,</b>” it begins.&nbsp;<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">“This includes empowering authoritarian bureaucrats at agencies like the IRS and FBI, implementing open-border policies that are threatening our communities, imposing COVID-19 mandates that shut down schools and are forcing our military servicemembers out of their jobs, and advancing self-destructive energy policies.”</span></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Georgia, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">Among the far right Republicans signing on to the&nbsp;<b>Senate letter are Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY), Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), and Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL).</b></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Georgia, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;"><b>MOST IF NOT ALL FREEDOM COCKS:]</b></p><p style="color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Georgia, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);">In the House, signatories include far right GOP Members of Congress Chip Roy, Ralph Norman, Jim Banks, Dan Bishop, Jim Jordan, Lauren Boebert, Kat Cammack, Scott DesJarlais, Scott Perry, Jody Hice, Ken Buck, Matt Gaetz, Paul Gosar, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Byron Donalds, Thomas Massie, and Louie Gohmert.</span></p></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">=</font></div></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">=</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">an 4 22</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">According to a report from Politico's Olivia Beavers, despite all outward appearances, Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Lauren Boebert are at odds with each other, with the Colorado Republican unhappy she is mentioned&nbsp;<a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2022/04/29/house-republican-freedom-caucus-challenges-00023071" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">in the same breath as her Georgia colleague</a>.</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In a deep dive into squabbles that are pulling apart the ultra-conservative Freedom Caucus, Beavers reports that at a recent conference the two had to be separated.</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">According to the report, "Marjorie Taylor Greene and Lauren Boebert look from the outside like MAGA twins, both loathed by Democrats for their incendiary right-wing rhetoric. But inside the House GOP, they’re not quite buddy-buddy."</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>The report notes that Boebert fits in more with the thinking of her Republican colleagues ("a team player") and she joined many of them in being furious with Greene over her appearance&nbsp;<a href="https://www.rawstory.com/marge-taylor-greene-white-nationalist/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">at a white nationalist conference well months ago</a>.</b></font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">As Beavers wrote, when the House Freedom Caucus board of directors gathered last month at its usual spot a few blocks from the Capitol, the two tangled over Greene’s appearance at a February event organized by a known white nationalist."</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">"Their confrontation grew so heated that at least one onlooker feared the Greene-Boebert back-and-forth might escalate beyond the verbal cage match had another board member not stepped in to de-escalate, according to a GOP lawmaker who was granted anonymity to describe what happened," Politico reports.</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">"The incident was confirmed by three people connected to the Freedom Caucus, whose members largely avoided public criticism of Greene and Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) at the time and focused their discontent on the event organizer, Nick Fuentes," the report added.</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">You can&nbsp;<a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2022/04/29/house-republican-freedom-caucus-challenges-00023071" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">read more here</a>.</font></p></div></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style=""><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">=</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">sedition caucus well repped, even more so freedom cocks?</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">~ ESG transparency climate action</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://www.sec.gov/comments/s7-10-22/s71022-20123081-279409.pdf">https://www.sec.gov/comments/s7-10-22/s71022-20123081-279409.pdf</a></font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div style=""><font face="Times New Roman" size="4" style="" /><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4" style=""><font face="Times New Roman" size="4" style=""><font face="Times New Roman" size="4" style=""><font face="Times New Roman" size="4" style=""><font face="Times New Roman" size="4" style=""><font face="Times New Roman" size="4" style=""><font face="Times New Roman" size="4" style=""><font face="Times New Roman" size="4" style=""><font face="Times New Roman" size="4" style=""><font face="Times New Roman" size="4" style=""><font face="Times New Roman" size="4" style=""><font face="Times New Roman" size="4" style=""><font face="Times New Roman" size="4" style=""><font face="Times New Roman" size="4" style=""><font face="Times New Roman" size="4" style=""><font face="Times New Roman" size="4" style=""><font face="Times New Roman" size="4" style=""><font face="Times New Roman" size="4" style=""><font face="Times New Roman" size="4" style=""><font face="Times New Roman" size="4" style=""><font face="Times New Roman" size="4" style=""><font face="Times New Roman" size="4" style=""><font face="Times New Roman" size="4" style=""><font face="Times New Roman" size="4" style=""><font face="Times New Roman" size="4" style=""><font face="Times New Roman" size="4" style=""><font face="Times New Roman" size="4" style=""><font face="Times New Roman" size="4" style=""><font face="Times New Roman" size="4" style=""><font face="Times New Roman" size="4" style=""><font face="Times New Roman" size="4" style=""><b>april 11 2022</b></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Vanessa A. Countryman</span></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Secretary</span></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Securities and Exchange Commission</span></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">100 F Street NE, Washington, DC 20549-1090</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">RE: File No. S7-10-22</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Dear Ms. Countryman:</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">We, the undersigned Members of Congress, have significant concerns with the Securities and</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Exchange Commission’s (SEC) proposed rule on “The Enhancement and Standardization of</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Climate-Related Disclosures for Investors.” This proposal would require publicly traded</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">companies to disclose their climate-related risks, report greenhouse gas emissions, and report</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">possible financial effects of climate change. We urge you to immediately table this rule.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Not only would this proposal add<b>&nbsp;additional red tape and bureaucracy that would be extremely</b></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><b>burdensome, if not impossible</b>, for many public companies to fully comply with, but it would</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);">also far exceed the authority that Congress explicitly granted the SEC</span>.&nbsp;<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">The SEC cannot and</span></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">should not mandate such public disclosures of information that strays from the “core purpose of</span></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">disclosure, [which] is to provide investors with the information they need to make informed</span></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">investment and voting decisions,” which “allow[s] our capital markets to flourish.</span>”1</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><b>&nbsp;It is&nbsp;</b><b>apparent that, as we have recently seen, this information would only be used to smear these</b></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><b>companies. [demonize FF ceo //?]</b></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><b>
</b></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">This proposal would drastically disrupt the current disclosure regime. Current SEC disclosure</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">mandates are intended to provide investors with insightful material information into a company’s</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">performance. SEC Commissioner Peirce emphasized that this proposal, instead, would tell</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">“corporate managers how regulators, doing the bidding of an array of non-investor stakeholders,</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">expect them to run their companies.”2</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;This would force everyday investors to view companies</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">through a tinted lens, obscured by the demands of vocal stakeholders “for whom a company’s</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">climate reputation is of equal or greater importance than a company’s financial performance.”3</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Ultimately, the SEC’s actions would act to undermine and shame public companies, not to</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">provide investors with necessary financial disclosures.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">furthermore, at a time of global turmoil, when energy prices are at decade highs, how would this</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">rule be beneficial to American citizens? Simply wrapping climate activism in financial regulation</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">will only further exacerbate our current energy crisis and do nothing to help everyday Americans</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">heat or cool their homes or lower prices at the gas pump. Instead, we need to refocus our</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">attention on domestic energy production and wean ourselves off energy from hostile nations.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Additional “climate” regulations will only hinder our ability to achieve this goal. Given the</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">current global and domestic circumstances, the administration should be focused on making the</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">basic necessities of life less expensive, not more.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">The SEC has proposed disclosures that are outside of its historical purview in order to engage in</span></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">environmental policy. It is, however, the role of Congress – and, importantly, not the role of</span></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">financial regulators – to set climate-related policy, balancing interests and engaging with</span></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">stakeholders to appropriately move us to a more energy-efficient nation. This Administration</span></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">must end its assault on American businesses and the rule of law in the name of an immediate and</span></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">expensive transition to a “Green New Deal” agenda.</span></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">
</span></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Sincerely,</div><div style=""><b style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);">Ted Budd</b></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><b>Member of Congress</b></div><div style=""><b style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);">
</b></div><div style=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);">Ralph Norman</span></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Dan Bishop <b>nope</b></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Bill Posey</span></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style=""><b style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);">Scott Perry</b></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">William R. Timmons IV nope</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Stephanie Bice</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Richard Hudson</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Alexander X. Mooney</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><b>Mo Brooks</b></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><b>
</b></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><b>Louie Gohmert</b></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Bruce Westerman</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Debbie Lesko</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Byron Donalds</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">John Joyce</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Tom McClintock</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Michael C. Burgess, M.D.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">John Rose</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Andrew S. Clyde</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">C. Scott Franklin</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Ben Cline</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Jay Obernolte</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Rodney Davis</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Ashley Hinson</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Paul A. Gosar, D.D.S.</span></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">David B. McKinley P.E.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><b>
</b></div><div style=""><b style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);">Yvette Herrell</b></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><b>
</b></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><b>Andy Biggs</b></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Tom Rice</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Daniel Webster</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Michael Guest</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Michael Cloud</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><b>
</b></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><b>Lauren Boebert</b></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Kat Cammack</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Pat Fallon</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);">W. Gregory Steube</span></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Nancy Mace</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">2019</font></div><div style=""><ul w="w" skins="skins" vector="Vector" images="images" bullet-icon.svg="bullet-icon.svg" f1="f1" style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 1.6em; padding: 0px; list-style-image: url("><li style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-bottom: 0.1em; break-inside: avoid-column;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4" style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);">a<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andy_Biggs" title="Andy Biggs" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">ndy Biggs</a>&nbsp;of Arizona<sup id="cite_ref-58" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-58" style="text-decoration-line: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">[58]</a></sup></font></li><li style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-bottom: 0.1em; break-inside: avoid-column;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mo_Brooks" title="Mo Brooks" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">Mo Brooks</a>&nbsp;of Alabama</span><sup id="cite_ref-59" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-59" style="background: none rgb(255, 153, 0); text-decoration-line: none;">[5</a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-59" style="background: none; text-decoration-line: none;">9]</a></sup></font></li><li style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-bottom: 0.1em; break-inside: avoid-column;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ken_Buck" title="Ken Buck" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Ken Buck</a>&nbsp;of Colorado</b><sup id="cite_ref-Dozen_60-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-Dozen-60" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><b>[</b>60]</a></sup></font></li><li style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-bottom: 0.1em; break-inside: avoid-column;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_Budd" title="Ted Budd" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Ted Budd</a>&nbsp;of North Carolina<sup id="cite_ref-61" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-61" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[61]</a></sup></font></li><li style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-bottom: 0.1em; break-inside: avoid-column;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Cline" title="Ben Cline" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Ben Cline</a>&nbsp;of Virginia<sup id="cite_ref-116th_62-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-116th-62" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[62]</a></sup></font></li><li style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-bottom: 0.1em; break-inside: avoid-column;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Cloud" title="Michael Cloud" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Michael Cloud</a>&nbsp;of Texas<sup id="cite_ref-116th_62-1" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-116th-62" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[62]</a></sup></font></li><li style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-bottom: 0.1em; break-inside: avoid-column;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warren_Davidson" title="Warren Davidson" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Warren Davidson</a>&nbsp;of Ohio<sup id="cite_ref-63" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-63" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[63]</a></sup></font></li><li style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-bottom: 0.1em; break-inside: avoid-column;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_DesJarlais" title="Scott DesJarlais" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Scott DesJarlais</a>&nbsp;of Tennessee</b><sup id="cite_ref-64" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-64" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[64]</a></sup></font></li><li style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-bottom: 0.1em; break-inside: avoid-column;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeff_Duncan(politician)" title="Jeff Duncan (politician)" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Jeff Duncan</a>&nbsp;of South Carolina<sup id="cite_ref-65" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-65" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[65]</a></sup></font></li><li style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-bottom: 0.1em; break-inside: avoid-column;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russ_Fulcher" title="Russ Fulcher" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Russ Fulcher</a>&nbsp;of Idaho<sup id="cite_ref-116th_62-2" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-116th-62" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[62]</a></sup></font></li><li style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-bottom: 0.1em; break-inside: avoid-column;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matt_Gaetz" title="Matt Gaetz" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">Matt<b>&nbsp;Gaetz</b></a><b>&nbsp;of Florida</b></span><sup id="cite_ref-66" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-66" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[66]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-67" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-67" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[67]</a></sup></font></li><li style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-bottom: 0.1em; break-inside: avoid-column;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><b style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louie_Gohmert" title="Louie Gohmert" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">Louie Gohmert</a>&nbsp;of Texas</b><sup id="cite_ref-Ted_68-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-Ted-68" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;"><b style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);">[</b></a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-Ted-68" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;"><b style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);">6</b>8]</a></sup></font></li><li style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-bottom: 0.1em; break-inside: avoid-column;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Gosar" title="Paul Gosar" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">Paul&nbsp;<b>Gosar</b></a><b>&nbsp;</b>of Arizona</span><sup id="cite_ref-69" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-69" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[69]</a></sup></font></li><li style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-bottom: 0.1em; break-inside: avoid-column;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_E.Green" title="Mark E. Green" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Mark E. Green</a>&nbsp;of Tennessee<sup id="cite_ref-116th_62-3" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-116th-62" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[62]</a></sup></font></li><li style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-bottom: 0.1em; break-inside: avoid-column;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morgan_Griffith" title="Morgan Griffith" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Morgan Griffith</a>&nbsp;of Virginia<sup id="cite_ref-Versus_10-1" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-Versus-10" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[10]</a></sup></font></li><li style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-bottom: 0.1em; break-inside: avoid-column;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andy_Harris(politician)" title="Andy Harris (politician)" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Andy Harris</a>&nbsp;of Maryland<sup id="cite_ref-blogs.rollcall.com_70-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-blogs.rollcall.com-70" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[70]</a></sup></font></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em; break-inside: avoid-column;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4" style=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jody_Hice" title="Jody Hice" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">Jody<b style="">&nbsp;Hice</b></a><b style="">&nbsp;of Georgia</b></span><sup id="cite_ref-Can_the_house_71-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-Can_the_house-71" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;"><b style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">[</b>71]</a></sup></font></li><li style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-bottom: 0.1em; break-inside: avoid-column;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Jordan(U.S.politician)" class="mw-redirect" title="Jim Jordan (U.S. politician)" style="background: none; text-decoration-line: none;">Jim&nbsp;</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 204, 102);"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Jordan(U.S.politician)" class="mw-redirect" title="Jim Jordan (U.S. politician)" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">Jordan</a>&nbsp;of Ohio</span><sup id="cite_ref-Nine_72-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-Nine-72" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[72]</a></sup></font></li><li style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-bottom: 0.1em; break-inside: avoid-column;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Debbie_Lesko" title="Debbie Lesko" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Debbie Lesko</a>&nbsp;of Arizona<sup id="cite_ref-73" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-73" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[73]</a></sup></font></li><li style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-bottom: 0.1em; break-inside: avoid-column;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Meadows(North_Carolina_politician)" title="Mark Meadows (North Carolina politician)" style="background: none; text-decoration-line: none;">Mark&nbsp;</a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Meadows(North_Carolina_politician)" title="Mark Meadows (North Carolina politician)" style="background: none rgb(255, 153, 0); text-decoration-line: none;">Meadows</a>&nbsp;of North Carolina<sup id="cite_ref-Nine_72-1" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-Nine-72" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[72]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-Huetteman_57-2" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-Huetteman-57" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[57]</a></sup></font></li><li style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-bottom: 0.1em; break-inside: avoid-column;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alex_Mooney" title="Alex Mooney" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Alex Mooney</a>&nbsp;of West Virginia<sup id="cite_ref-blogs.rollcall.com_70-1" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-blogs.rollcall.com-70" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[70]</a></sup></font></li><li style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-bottom: 0.1em; break-inside: avoid-column;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greg_Murphy(politician)" title="Greg Murphy (politician)" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Greg Murphy</a>&nbsp;of North Carolina (won special election)<sup id="cite_ref-74" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-74" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[74]</a></sup></font></li><li style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-bottom: 0.1em; break-inside: avoid-column;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ralph_Norman" title="Ralph Norman" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Ralph Norman</a>&nbsp;of South Carolina</b><sup id="cite_ref-75" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-75" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><b>[</b>75]</a></sup></font></li><li style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-bottom: 0.1em; break-inside: avoid-column;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Palmer(politician)" title="Gary Palmer (politician)" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Gary Palmer</a>&nbsp;of Alabama<sup id="cite_ref-Vies_76-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-Vies-76" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[76]</a></sup></font></li><li style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-bottom: 0.1em; break-inside: avoid-column;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><b style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Perry(politician)" title="Scott Perry (politician)" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">Scott Perry</a>&nbsp;of Pennsylvania</b><sup id="cite_ref-blogs.rollcall.com_70-2" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-blogs.rollcall.com-70" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[70]</a></sup></font></li><li style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-bottom: 0.1em; break-inside: avoid-column;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Posey" title="Bill Posey" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Bill Posey</a>&nbsp;of Florida<sup id="cite_ref-blogs.rollcall.com_70-3" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-blogs.rollcall.com-70" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[70]</a></sup></font></li><li style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-bottom: 0.1em; break-inside: avoid-column;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denver_Riggleman" title="Denver Riggleman" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Denver Riggleman</a>&nbsp;of Virginia<sup id="cite_ref-116th_62-4" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-116th-62" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[62]</a></sup></font></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em; break-inside: avoid-column;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4" style=""><b style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chip_Roy" title="Chip Roy" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">Chip Roy</a>&nbsp;of Texas</b><sup id="cite_ref-116th_62-5" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-116th-62" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[62]</a></sup></font></li><li style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-bottom: 0.1em; break-inside: avoid-column;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Schweikert" title="David Schweikert" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">David&nbsp;<b>Schweikert</b></a><b>&nbsp;of Arizona</b><sup id="cite_ref-Dozen_60-1" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-Dozen-60" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[60]</a></sup></font></li><li style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-bottom: 0.1em; break-inside: avoid-column;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Randy_Weber" title="Randy Weber" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Randy Weber</a>&nbsp;of Texas<sup id="cite_ref-pewwho_77-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-pewwho-77" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[77]</a></sup></font></li><li style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-bottom: 0.1em; break-inside: avoid-column;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_Wright(politician)" title="Ron Wright (politician)" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Ron Wright</a>&nbsp;of Texas&nbsp;<sup id="cite_ref-116th_62-6" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-116th-62" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[62]</a></sup></font></li><li style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-bottom: 0.1em; break-inside: avoid-column;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_Yoho" title="Ted Yoho" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Ted&nbsp;<b>Yoho</b></a><b>&nbsp;of Florida</b><sup id="cite_ref-pewwho_77-1" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-pewwho-77" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[77]</a></sup></font></li></ul></div></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" /><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Current members 2022</b></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></div><div>
</div><div>A number of members have identified themselves, or have been identified by others, as belonging to the Freedom Caucus. There are at least 44 caucus members as of May 2022; those members include:</div><div>
</div><div>Alabama</div><div>Barry Moore (AL-2)[67]</div><div><b>Mo Brooks (AL-5)[68] (retiring at end of 117th Congress)</b></div><div>Gary Palmer (AL-6)[69]</div><div>Arizona</div><div>
</div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Paul Gosar (AZ-4)[70]</span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Andy Biggs (AZ-5)[71]</span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">David Schweikert (AZ-6)[72]</span></div><div>Debbie Lesko (AZ-8)[73]</div><div>Colorado</div><div>
</div><div><b>Lauren Boebert (CO-3)[74]</b></div><div>Ken Buck (CO-4)[75]</div><div>Florida</div><div><b>
</b></div><div><b>Matt Gaetz (FL-1)[76]</b></div><div>Bill Posey (FL-8)[77]</div><div><b>Greg Steube (FL-17)[78]</b></div><div>Byron Donalds (FL-19)[79][80]</div><div>Georgia</div><div>
</div><div>Andrew Clyde (GA-9)[81]</div><div>Jody Hice (GA-10)[82] (retiring at end of 117th Congress)</div><div><b>Marjorie Taylor Greene (GA-14)[83]</b></div><div>Idaho</div><div>
</div><div>Russ Fulcher (ID-1)[84]</div><div>Illinois</div><div>
</div><div>Mary Miller (IL-15)[85]</div><div>Louisiana</div><div>
</div><div>Clay Higgins (LA-3)[86]</div><div>Mike Johnson (LA-4)[87]</div><div>Maryland</div><div>
</div><div>Andy Harris (MD-1)[88]</div><div>Montana</div><div>
</div><div>Matt Rosendale (MT-AL)[89]</div><div>New Mexico</div><div>
</div><div><b style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);">Yvette Herrell (NM-2)[90]</b></div><div>North Carolina</div><div>
</div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Dan Bishop (</span>NC-9)[91]</div><div><b>Madison Cawthorn (NC-11)[92] (lost renomination in 2022)</b></div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Ted Budd (NC-13)[93] (running for Senate in 118th Congress)</span></div><div>Ohio</div><div>
</div><div><b>Jim Jordan (OH-4) – Vice chair[94]</b></div><div>Warren Davidson (OH-8)[95]</div><div>Pennsylvania</div><div>
</div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);">Scott Perry (PA-10) – Chair[96]</span></div><div>South Carolina</div><div>
</div><div>Jeff Duncan (SC-3)[97]</div><div><b>Ralph Norman</b> (SC-5)[98]</div><div>Tennessee</div><div>
</div><div>Scott DesJarlais (TN-4)[99]</div><div>Mark E. Green (TN-7)[100]</div><div>Texas</div><div>
</div><div><b>Louie Gohmert (TX-1)[101] (retiring at end of 117th Congress)</b></div><div>Randy Weber (TX-14)[102]</div><div><b>Chip Roy (TX-21)[103]</b></div><div>Troy Nehls (TX-22)[104]</div><div>Michael Cloud (TX-27)[105]</div><div>Virginia</div><div>
</div><div>Bob Good (VA-5)[106]</div><div>Ben Cline (VA-6)[107]</div><div>Morgan Griffith (VA-9)[108]</div><div>West Virginia</div><div>
</div><div>Alex Mooney (WV-2)[109]</div><div>Wisconsin</div><div>
</div><div>Tom Tiffany (WI-7)[110]</div></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div><div><p style=""><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">The chairman of the ultra-conservative </span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">House Freedom Caucus is demanding&nbsp;<a href="https://www.thenewcivilrightsmovement.com/?s=Madison+Cawthorn" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;"><strong style="">U.S. Rep. Madison Cawthorn</strong></a></span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;(R-NC) back up his incendiary charges that several members of Congress invited him to alleged orgies where they would do “</span><a href="https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/house-republicans-cawthorn-orgy-cocaine" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">key bumps</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">” of cocaine.</span></font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Rep. Scott Perry (R-PA) (photo), who has been asked by the January 6 Committee to testify but has refused, told&nbsp;<a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2022/03/29/cawthorn-orgies-freedom-caucus-00021548" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">Politico’s Olivia Beavers</a>, “I think it is important, if you’re going to say something like that, to name some names.”</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Tuesday Beavers also reported that House Republican Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy had wanted to speak with Cawthorn about the allegations – not to start any type of investigation, but because&nbsp;<a href="https://www.thenewcivilrightsmovement.com/2022/03/mccarthy-to-talk-to-cawthorn-about-orgy-and-cocaine-accusations-because-republicans-are-upset-he-made-them-report/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">some Republicans said they were “upset” Cawthorn made the claim</a>.</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Perry and McCarthy are not the only ones angered about Cawthorn’s charges.</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“You should have to name names if you are going to go make those kinds of brush stroke accusations and impugn the character of people in this institution or … anybody else in this town,” an unnamed House Republican, told Beavers.</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Last week Cawthorn told the “Warrior Poet Society” podcast that, Beavers writes, “he received invitations along the lines of “‘hey, we’re going to have kind of a sexual get-together at one of our homes, you should come’.”</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“What did you just ask me to come to?” Cawthorn said. “And then you realize they are asking you to come to an orgy.”</font></p></div><div><div><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">----</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2021/11/first-act-of-newly-elected-head-of-house-gops-most-extreme-group-is-announcement-hes-just-tested-positive-for/">https://www.alternet.org/2021/11/first-act-of-newly-elected-head-of-house-gops-most-extreme-group-is-announcement-hes-just-tested-positive-for/</a></font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">badash ncrm</font></p></div><div><p style=""><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style=""><b style=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);">Members of the Freedom Caucus, the most extreme group of House Republicans, just elected a new leader, U.S. Rep. Scott Perry of Pennsylvania</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">. His first act was to announce&nbsp;</span><a href="https://www.pennlive.com/news/2021/11/scott-perry-tests-positive-for-covid-19.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">he has just tested positive for COVID-19</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">.</span></b></font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Perry is a far right wing extremist who has repeatedly spread falsehoods about election fraud – and compared Democrats to Nazis.</b></font></p><p style=""><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">He was first elected to Congress in 2006, ran unopposed or with no Republican challenger several times, thanks in part to what was later found to be an unconstitutional gerrymandered district.</font></p><p style=""><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Rep. Perry, "an outspoken Pennsylvania Republican, played a significant role in the crisis that played out at the top of the Justice Department," in December of 2020,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/23/us/politics/scott-perry-trump-justice-department-election.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">The New York Times</a>&nbsp;reported, "when Mr. Trump&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/22/us/politics/jeffrey-clark-trump-justice-department-election.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" title="" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">considered firing the acting attorney general</a>&nbsp;and backed down only after top department officials threatened to resign en masse."</font></p><p style=""><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);"><b style="">Perry introduced Trump to DOJ attorney Jeffrey Clark</b>,</font><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"> the acting chief of the civil division, who "was sympathetic to Mr. Trump's view that the election had been stolen."</font></p><blockquote style="margin: 1em 40px 1em -5px; border-left: 4px solid rgb(11, 13, 101); line-height: 32px; padding: 10px 20px 10px 24px; width: 602.531px; background: rgb(245, 245, 245);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Mr. <b>Perry introduced the president to Mr. Clark, whose openness to conspiracy theories about election fraud presented Mr. Trump with a welcome change from the acting attorney general, Jeffrey A. Rosen, who stood by the results of the election and had repeatedly resisted the president's efforts to undo them.</b></font></blockquote><p style=""><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 204, 102);">Congressman Perry was also one of just 18 members of the House to vote against a resolution condemning the dangerous anti-Democratic conspiracy theory QAnon,</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> "a collective delusion that alleges President Donald Trump is fighting a Satan-worshipping cabal of elites who abuse children,"&nbsp;</span><a href="https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/sarahmimms/house-condemns-qanon-trump-death-threats-republicans?scrolla=5eb6d68b7fedc32c19ef33b4" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">Buzzfeed</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;reported last year, noting the vote came just "three days after its followers targeted Democratic Rep. Tom Malinowski with&nbsp;</span><a href="https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/sarahmimms/malinowski-qanon-republican-ad-false-sexual-predator-claims" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">death threats</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">."</span></font></p><p style=""><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style=""><b style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">In June Rep. Perry compared Democrats to Nazis,</b><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> as&nbsp;</span><a href="https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/antisemitism/republican-congressman-compares-democrats-to-nazi-in-recent-speech-672137" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">The Jerusalem Post</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;reported, when he said: </span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);">"It wasn't a government in Germany that took the people's rights away immediately. It was fascism. Fascism took it away, because the g<b>overnment put the heavy hand on the companies and the companies did the government's work. Well look around, ladies and gentlemen." [what?]</b></span></font></p><blockquote style="margin: 1em 40px 1em -5px; border-left: 4px solid rgb(11, 13, 101); line-height: 32px; padding: 10px 20px 10px 24px; width: 602.531px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);">"The Left are always coming… We have to be stronger and louder than them… They are destroying our economy. They are destroying our energy sector. They are going to do this if we let them, and we can not let them… Go fight them."</font></blockquote></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div></div><div><p align="left" style="margin: 0px 0px 1em; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1.25em; padding: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><strong>=</strong></font></p><p align="left" style="margin: 0px 0px 1em; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1.25em; padding: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">an 1020</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>marjorie Taylor Greene, a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.salon.com/2020/08/12/trump-says-qanon-supporter-condemned-by-gop-leaders-for-racist-videos-is-future-republican-star/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">QAnon conspiracy theorist</a>&nbsp;and Republican candidate who is expected to win her House race in Georgia next month, donated $450,000 to her own campaign after receiving a six-figure Paycheck Protection Program loan from the government for her construction company.</b></font></p><p style=""><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Greene, who has&nbsp;</span><a href="https://www.salon.com/2020/06/16/gop-purges-right-wing-members-from-congress--to-replace-them-with-even-more-radical-candidates/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">promoted the QAnon conspiracy theory</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;and&nbsp;</span><a href="https://www.salon.com/2020/08/12/trump-says-qanon-supporter-condemned-by-gop-leaders-for-racist-videos-is-future-republican-star/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">posted videos</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;attacking Black people, Muslims and Jews, won the Republican primary in Georgia's 14th congressional district in August despite opposition from Republican leaders. She is almost certain to take over the seat now held by retiring Republican Rep. Tom Graves, especially after her&nbsp;</span><a href="https://twitter.com/KevinVanAusdal/status/1304489108736270337?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1304489108736270337%7Ctwgr%5Eshare_3&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fthehill.com%2Fhomenews%2Fcampaign%2F516068-democrat-in-race-against-marjorie-taylo" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">Democratic opponent dropped out of the race last month</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;in a district President Trump carried by 50 points. Trump has since praised Greene as a&nbsp;</span><a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1293525010523578375?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1293525010523578375%7Ctwgr%5Eshare_3&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.salon.com%2F2020%2F08%2F12%2Ftrump-says-qanon-supporter-condemned-by-gop-lead" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">"future </span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Republican star."</span></a></font></p><p style=""><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Greene's bid was&nbsp;<a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2020/09/qanon-republican-party-congress.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">partially funded</a>&nbsp;by a super PAC allied with the <b>House Freedom Caucus, which has&nbsp;<a href="https://justthenews.com/government/congress/congressman-biggs-last-covid-19-stimulus-package-shouldve-absolutely-been-final" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">opposed additional funding</a>&nbsp;to provide coronavirus relief to Americans. </b>Greene has opposed additional spending as well, declaring in a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/MarjorieTaylorGreene/videos/229173321514272" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">Facebook video</a>&nbsp;that "the best stimulus for Americans is allowing Americans to go back to work!"</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Despite her opposition to the stimulus funding and the PPP, her family's company, Taylor Commercial, received a six-figure PPP loan worth between&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/stphnfwlr/status/1280495060417679366" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">$150,000 and $350,000</a>&nbsp;earlier this year.&nbsp;<a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2020/09/qanon-republican-party-congress.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">New York Magazine</a>&nbsp;reported that her name had stopped appearing on the company's registration forms in 2012 but was added back in 2019.</b></font></p><p style=""><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Greene, who had loaned her campaign&nbsp;<a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2020/09/qanon-republican-party-congress.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">$900,000</a>, donated $450,000 to her campaign about two months after the PPP loan, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fec.gov/data/receipts/?data_type=processed&committee_id=C00708289&contributor_name=greene&two_year_transaction_period=2020" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">Federal Election Commission records</a>.</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Her main opponent in the Republican primary, neurosurgeon John Cowan, raised questions about the donation during the campaign.</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">"Earlier this week, you said that you didn't want Congress to pass more COVID-related emergency funds for businesses. But your business took as much as $350,000 in PPP loans from the federal government at the same time you were putting $900,000 into your campaign,"&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=517lxn2Onu8&feature=youtu.be&ab_channel=JohnCowan" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">Cowan told Greene during a debate in July</a>. "So if you don't need the money and you have the discretionary funds, will you commit to returning that money to the citizens?"</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Greene accused Cowan of being "disconnected" from business owners and "people who have struggled during this government shutdown."</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">"I am appalled at the fact that you cannot comprehend that I have a construction company and we can't do construction remotely at home," she said, not denying that she opposed the very funds that her company drew from.</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">"Construction companies were considered essential and they didn't shut down," Cowan shot back. "So you were making plenty of money — plus you used $900,000 of your own money during the campaign. Don't you think you had a little extra to pay your employees? I find it disingenuous that you took money from taxpayers to pay for your employees while you were paying yourself."</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Spencer Hogg, Cowan's campaign manager, later said in a statement that Greene's company "wasn't one of those facing hardships."</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">"She says she's a fiscal conservative, she said last week that she opposed additional emergency funding for businesses forced to close because of COVID, but as we've seen on multiple issues, Marjorie doesn't let principle interfere with self-interest,"&nbsp;<a href="https://cowanforcongress.com/cowan-greene-should-return-companys-ppp-loan/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">he said in a statement</a>. "If she has enough money to spend nearly $1 million to advance her own political ambitions, then she has enough to pay her employees, particularly in an industry that didn't have to stop working during the lockdown."</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Greene's campaign did not respond to questions from Salon.</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Greene is not the only Republican candidate who has self-funded a campaign while taking PPP loans.</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Former Rep. Darrell Issa,&nbsp;</b>R-Calif.,&nbsp;<a href="https://laprensa-sandiego.org/issa-took-ppp-loan-then-loaned-more-money-to-his-campaign/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">received a PPP loan</a>&nbsp;for one of his companies worth between $150,000 and $350,000 in May, weeks before he loaned his campaign $150,000. Issa, who has a net worth of $280 million to $400 million and was the richest member of Congress between 2000 and 2018, is trying to stage a political comeback by running for the Southern California seat recently vacated by convicted former Rep. Duncan Hunter, a Republican.</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Issa's Democratic opponent ,Ammar Campa-Najjar, called for&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pe.com/2020/09/30/ammar-campa-najjar-darrell-issa-answer-questions-in-50th-congressional-district-race/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">"millionaires like Darrell Issa"</a>&nbsp;to be banned from collecting PPP loans during a debate last week.</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Issa said at the debate that he&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/politics/story/2020-10-01/issa-campa-najjar-talk-healthcare-homelessness-and-pandemic-response-during-50th-district-debate" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">opposed funding the PPP entirely</a>, arguing it would be "foolhardy" and that "paying people not to work has run its course."</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Another California Republican candidate, Michelle Steele, also received a PPP loan worth between&nbsp;<a href="https://projects.propublica.org/coronavirus/bailouts/loans/shawn-steel-law-firm-inc-d301396849f349f47b1dde27eed482a2" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">$150,000 and $350,000</a>&nbsp;in April for her family law firm. She&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fec.gov/data/receipts/?data_type=processed&committee_id=C00704981&contributor_name=michelle+steel&contributor_name=shawn+steel&two_year_transaction_period=2020&min_date=01%2F01%2F2019&max_date=12%2F31%2F2020" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">donated $500,000</a>&nbsp;to her campaign in California's 48th congressional district against Rep. Harley Rouda, a Democratic freshman narrowly elected in the 2018 "blue wave."</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Rep. Vern Buchanan, a Florida Republican, received PPP loans&nbsp;<a href="https://www.tampabay.com/florida-politics/buzz/2020/07/06/vern-buchanans-car-dealerships-received-up-to-7-million-in-federal-coronavirus-aid/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">worth up to $7 million</a>&nbsp;for his auto dealerships before&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fec.gov/data/receipts/?data_type=processed&committee_id=C00412759&contributor_name=buchanan%2C+vern&two_year_transaction_period=2020&min_date=01%2F01%2F2019&max_date=12%2F31%2F2020" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">donating $250,000</a>&nbsp;to his campaign.</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Accountable.US, a progressive watchdog group that tracks recipients of PPP loans, called on all four candidates to return the money to taxpayers.</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">"The PPP program was meant to save jobs, not bail out business owners looking for a gig in D.C.," spokesman Derek Martin said in a statement to Salon. "These candidates should return this money and tell the president to get back to work on a relief bill that will help all Americans during this pandemic."</font></p><p align="left" style="margin: 0px 0px 1em; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1.25em; padding: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><strong>=</strong></font></p></div><div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2020/08/conservative-writer-warns-the-gop-is-increasingly-embracing-the-utter-lunacy-of-qanon/"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">https://www.alternet.org/2020/08/conservative-writer-warns-the-gop-is-increasingly-embracing-the-utter-lunacy-of-qanon/</font></a></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">no lnx twt vid?</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Conservative writer warns the GOP is increasingly embracing the ‘utter lunacy’ of QAnon</b></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Written by Alex Henderson August 14, 2020</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">On Tuesday, August 11, the QAnon conspiracy cult enjoyed a major victory when far-right QAnon supporter Marjorie Taylor Greene won a Republican primary in Georgia’s 14th Congressional District and was congratulated by President Donald Trump — who wasn’t the least bit troubled by her pro-QAnon views. And veteran conservative pundit/author Mona Charen, in an article published in The Bulwark on August 13, laments the willingness of prominent Republicans to endorse those who embrace the “utter lunacy” of QAnon.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The QAnon cult believes that Trump was elected president to combat an international pedophile/child sex ring that operates within the U.S. government and that an anonymous figure named “Q” is providing updates on Trump’s battle. Greene, in a 2017 video that has been posted on YouTube, expressed her solidarity with QAnon. And considering how deeply Republican her district is, Greene has a very good chance of defeating the Democratic candidate, tech worker Kevin Van Ausdale, in November and taking a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives in January 2021.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Charen explains: “Pizzagate morphed into the QAnon conspiracy in which Q followers wait for signals from their leader that a vast conspiracy of Satanic child abusers, run by the ‘Deep State,’ George Soros, the Supreme Court, and God knows who else is about to be unmasked.<b>&nbsp;Did I mention that they think Beyoncé is only pretending to be black? I</b>t’s a hydra-headed thing, this conspiracy, and contains multitudes. But the one common thread is this: the great deliverer will be Donald J. Trump.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">QAnon, Charen writes, is a “paranoid conspiracy (theory that) has gathered momentum at the Republican grassroots.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Greene is not an anomaly: support for QAnon has been growing in the Republican Party.</b></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“No fewer than 60 current or former congressional candidates have expressed interest in or support for the QAnon conspiracy,” Charen laments. “One of them, Jo Rae Perkins, got the Republican nomination for Senate in Oregon.&nbsp;<b>And now, Marjorie Taylor Greene seems almost certain to be going to Congress.”</b></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Charen notes that although some prominent Republicans condemned Greene — including Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming, Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois and House Minority Whip Steve Scalise — Trump and others have embraced her.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 204, 102);">“Greene received backing from the House Freedom Fund, an arm of the House Freedom Caucus,” Charen observes. <b>“Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio and former Rep. Mark Meadows, now Trump’s chief of staff, also backed Greene.”</b></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>To make matters worse, Charen adds, Greene critics like Kinzinger are being slammed by Trump supporters for speaking out against her.</b></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Voters in Georgia’s 14th Congressional District, Charen points out, could have chosen her GOP primary rival, Dr. John Cowan — who she describes as a “gun-rights-supporting, anti-abortion Trump loyalist” — to run against Van Ausdale. Instead, they went with someone even further to the right: a QAnon extremist</b>.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“It’s odd that Republicans, who pride themselves on their practical understanding of life — incentives matter, money doesn’t grow on trees, personal responsibility is essential to a well-ordered society — should display such a marked weakness for utter lunacy,” Charen laments. “I don’t offer an explanation, just a warning. This disordered thinking is no longer just a fringe phenomenon.”</font></div></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">820 <b>COVID FAIL</b></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">staffer alyssa farah (patrick henry , williamson) in small cabal that fed BS trump on how well he was dealing w/ covid; fuckwit pizzagaetz worse gas mask on flr; mick is in [actually mnu? ]charge of covid bill b/c mcconn has gone home; gym jordan, meadows COS massive covid fail...LOUIE FUCKING GOHMERT MAY HAVE INFECTED GRIJALVA AND BARR</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">GOV k noem south dakota declined to join</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">schweikert secret sci BS w/ lamar smith</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div><div><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus</font></a></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px;"><font face="Times New Roman" style="" size="4"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;</span><b style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Freedom Caucus</b><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">, also known as the&nbsp;</span><b style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">House Freedom Caucus</b><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">, is a&nbsp;</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congressional_caucus" title="Congressional caucus" style="background: none; text-decoration-line: none;">congressional caucus</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;consisting of&nbsp;</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conservatism_in_the_United_States" title="Conservatism in the United States" style="background: none; text-decoration-line: none;">conservative</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;and&nbsp;</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libertarian_conservatism" title="Libertarian conservatism" style="background: none; text-decoration-line: none;">libertarian</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republican_Party(United_States)" title="Republican Party (United States)" style="background: none; text-decoration-line: none;">Republican</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;members of the&nbsp;</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_House_of_Representatives" title="United States House of Representatives" style="background: none; text-decoration-line: none;">United States House of Representatives</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">.</span><sup id="cite_ref-Delays_1-1" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-Delays-1" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[1]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-Future_3-1" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-Future-3" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[3]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-Defying_2-2" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-Defying-2" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[2]</a></sup><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;It was </span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">formed in 2015 by what member&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Jordan(American_politician)" title="Jim Jordan (American politician)" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">Jim Jordan</a>&nbsp;called a “smaller, more cohesive, more agile and more active” group of conservative congressmen,<sup id="cite_ref-official_13-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-official-13" style="text-decoration-line: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">[13]</a></sup>&nbsp;and is currently chaired by Representative&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andy_Biggs" title="Andy Biggs" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">Andy Biggs</a>&nbsp;of&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arizona" title="Arizona" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">Arizona</a>.</span></font></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px;"><font face="Times New Roman" style="" size="4"><b style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Many members are also part of the much larger&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republican_Study_Committee" title="Republican Study Committee" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Republican Study Committee</a></b><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">.</span><sup id="cite_ref-official_13-1" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-official-13" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[13]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-14" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-14" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[14]</a></sup><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 204, 102);">The caucus is sympathetic to the&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tea_Party_movement" title="Tea Party movement" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">Tea Party movement</a></span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">.</span><sup id="cite_ref-15" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-15" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[15]</a></sup><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;The Freedom Caucus is considered the </span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);">furthest-right bloc within the&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_Republican_Conference" title="House Republican Conference" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">House Republican Conference</a></span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">.</span><sup id="cite_ref-16" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-16" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[16]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-17" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-17" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[17]</a></sup><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;The caucus supports House candidates through its&nbsp;</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_action_committee" title="Political action committee" style="background: none; text-decoration-line: none;">PAC</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">, the House Freedom Fund.</span><sup id="cite_ref-18" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-18" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[18]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-19" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-19" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[19]</a></sup></font></p><div id="toc" class="toc" style="border: 1px solid rgb(162, 169, 177); background-color: rgb(248, 249, 250); padding: 7px; display: table;"><input type="checkbox" role="button" id="toctogglecheckbox" class="toctogglecheckbox" style="direction: ltr; position: absolute; opacity: 0; z-index: -1; display: none;" /><div class="toctitle" lang="en" dir="ltr" style="direction: ltr; text-align: center;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><ul style="margin: 0.3em 0px; padding: 0px; list-style-image: none; list-style-type: none;"><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-1" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#History" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><span class="tocnumber" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em;">1</span><span class="toctext" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">History</span></font></a><ul style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 2em; padding: 0px; list-style-image: none; list-style-type: none;"><li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-2" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#Opposition_to_Speaker_of_the_House_John_Boehner" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><span class="tocnumber" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em;">1.1</span><span class="toctext" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">Opposition to Speaker of the House John Boehner</span></font></a></li><li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-3" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#Backlash_in_2016" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><span class="tocnumber" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em;">1.2</span><span class="toctext" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">Backlash in 2016</span></font></a></li><li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-4" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#Rejection_of_American_Health_Care_Act_in_2017" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><span class="tocnumber" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em;">1.3</span><span class="toctext" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">Rejection of American Health Care Act in 2017</span></font></a></li><li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-5" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#Criticism_from_Boehner" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><span class="tocnumber" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em;">1.4</span><span class="toctext" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">Criticism from Boehner</span></font></a></li><li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-6" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#Impeachment_proceedings_against_President_Trump" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><span class="tocnumber" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em;">1.5</span><span class="toctext" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">Impeachment proceedings against President Trump</span></font></a></li></ul></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-7" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#Membership" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><span class="tocnumber" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em;">2</span><span class="toctext" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">Membership</span></font></a><ul style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 2em; padding: 0px; list-style-image: none; list-style-type: none;"><li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-8" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#Leadership" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><span class="tocnumber" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em;">2.1</span><span class="toctext" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">Leadership</span></font></a></li><li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-9" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#Former_members" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><span class="tocnumber" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em;">2.2</span><span class="toctext" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">Former members</span></font></a></li></ul></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-10" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#See_also" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><span class="tocnumber" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em;">3</span><span class="toctext" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">See also</span></font></a></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-11" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#Further_reading" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><span class="tocnumber" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em;">4</span><span class="toctext" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">Further reading</span></font></a></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-12" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#References" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><span class="tocnumber" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em;">5</span><span class="toctext" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">References</span></font></a></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-13" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#External_links" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><span class="tocnumber" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em;">6</span><span class="toctext" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">External links</span></font></a></li></ul></div><h2 style="background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(162, 169, 177); line-height: 1.3;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style=""><span class="mw-headline" id="History" style="">History</span><span class="mw-editsection" style="font-weight: normal; user-select: none; margin-left: 1em; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1em; white-space: nowrap; unicode-bidi: isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-right: 0.25em;">[</span></span></font></h2><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px;"><font face="Times New Roman" style="" size="4"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">The caucus originated during the mid–January 2015 Republican congressional retreat in&nbsp;</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hershey,Pennsylvania" title="Hershey, Pennsylvania" style="background: none; text-decoration-line: none;">Hershey, Pennsylvania</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">.</span><sup id="cite_ref-20" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-20" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[20]</a></sup><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;According to</span><b style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> founding member&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mick_Mulvaney" title="Mick Mulvaney" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Mick Mulvaney</a>, </b><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">“that was the first time we got together and decided we were a group, and not just a bunch of pissed-off guys,”.</span><sup id="cite_ref-21" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-21" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[21]</a></sup><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Nine conservative active Republican members of the House began planning a new Congressional caucus separate from the Republican Study Committee and apart from the&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_Republican_Conference" title="House Republican Conference" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">House Republican Conference</a>. The founding members who constituted the first board of directors for the new caucus were Republican representatives&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Garrett" title="Scott Garrett" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">Scott Garrett</a>&nbsp;of New Jersey,&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Jordan(U.S.politician)" class="mw-redirect" title="Jim Jordan (U.S. politician)" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">Jim Jordan</a>&nbsp;of Ohio,&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Fleming(American_politician)" title="John Fleming (American politician)" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">John Fleming</a>&nbsp;of Louisiana,&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matt_Salmon" title="Matt Salmon" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">Matt Salmon</a>&nbsp;of Arizona,&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justin_Amash" title="Justin Amash" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">Justin Amash</a>&nbsp;of Michigan,&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ra%C3%BAl_Labrador" title="Raúl Labrador" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">Raúl Labrador</a>&nbsp;of Idaho,&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mick_Mulvaney" title="Mick Mulvaney" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">Mick Mulvaney</a>&nbsp;of South Carolina,&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_DeSantis" title="Ron DeSantis" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">Ron DeSantis</a>&nbsp;of Florida and&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Meadows(North_Carolina_politician)" title="Mark Meadows (North Carolina politician)" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">Mark Meadows</a>&nbsp;of North Carolina.<sup id="cite_ref-22" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-22" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">[22]</a></sup></span></font></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mick_Mulvaney" title="Mick Mulvaney" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Mick Mulvaney</a>&nbsp;told Ryan Lizza of the&nbsp;<i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_New_Yorker" title="The New Yorker" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">New Yorker</a></i>&nbsp;“We had twenty names, and all of them were terrible,” Mulvaney said. “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.” In the same interview, Lizza reported that “one of the working titles for the group was the<b> Reasonable Nutjob Caucus</b>.”<sup id="cite_ref-23" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-23" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[23]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-24" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-24" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[24]</a></sup></font></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><b>During the crisis over the funding of the&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Department_of_Homeland_Security" class="mw-redirect" title="Department of Homeland Security" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Department of Homeland Security</a>&nbsp;in early 2015, </b>the caucus offered four plans for resolution, but all were rejected by the Republican leadership. One of the caucus leaders,&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ra%C3%BAl_Labrador" title="Raúl Labrador" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Raúl Labrador</a>&nbsp;of Idaho, said the caucus will offer an alternative that the most conservative Republican members could support.<sup id="cite_ref-25" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-25" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[25]</a></sup><sup class="noprint Inline-Template" style="line-height: 1; margin-left: 0.1em; white-space: nowrap;">[<i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Dates_and_numbers#Chronological_items" title="Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Dates and numbers" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><span title="The text near this tag is dated. (October 2015)">needs update</span></a></i>]</sup></font></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px;"><font face="Times New Roman" style="" size="4"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Following the election of Donald Trump,</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);"> </span><b style=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);">Mick Mulvaney</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 204, 102);"> said "Trump wants to turn Washington upside down&nbsp;— that was his first message and his winning message. We want the exact same thing.</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"> To the extent that he's got to convince Republicans to change Washington, we're there to help him ..</span></b><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">. and I think that makes us Donald Trump's best allies in the House</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">."</span><sup id="cite_ref-26" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-26" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[26]</a></sup></font></p><h3 style="background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); margin: 0.3em 0px 0px; overflow: hidden; padding-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; border-bottom: 0px; line-height: 1.6;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span class="mw-headline" id="Opposition_to_Speaker_of_the_House_John_Boehner">Opposition to Speaker of the House John Boehner</span><span class="mw-editsection" style="user-select: none; font-weight: normal; margin-left: 1em; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1em; white-space: nowrap; unicode-bidi: isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-right: 0.25em;">[</span></span></font></h3><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">The newly-formed group declared that a criterion for new members in the group would be opposition to John Boehner as Speaker of the House and willingness to vote against or thwart&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speaker_of_the_United_States_House_of_Representatives" title="Speaker of the United States House of Representatives" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Speaker of the United States House of Representatives</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Boehner" title="John Boehner" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">John Boehner</a>&nbsp;on legislation that the group opposed.<sup id="cite_ref-housedivided_27-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-housedivided-27" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[27]</a></sup></font></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">The House Freedom Caucus was involved in the resignation of Boehner on September 25, 2015, and the ensuing&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speaker_of_the_United_States_House_of_Representatives_election,October_2015" class="mw-redirect" title="Speaker of the United States House of Representatives election, October 2015" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">leadership battle for the new speaker</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-28" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-28" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[28]</a></sup>&nbsp;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.<sup id="cite_ref-29" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-29" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[29]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-30" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-30" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[30]</a></sup>&nbsp;Boehner found it increasingly difficult to manage House Republicans with the fierce opposition of the Freedom Caucus, and he sparred with House Republican members in 2013 over their willingness to shut down the government in pursuit of goals such as repealing the&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Affordable_Care_Act" class="mw-redirect" title="Affordable Care Act" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Affordable Care Act</a>. These members later created and became members of the Freedom Caucus when it was created in 2015.<sup id="cite_ref-housedivided_27-1" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-housedivided-27" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[27]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-31" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-31" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[31]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-32" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-32" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[32]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-33" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-33" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[33]</a></sup></font></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px;"><font face="Times New Roman" style="" size="4"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">After Boehner resigned as speaker,&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevin_McCarthy(California_politician)" class="mw-redirect" title="Kevin McCarthy (California politician)" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">Kevin McCarthy</a>, the&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_Majority_Leader" class="mw-redirect" title="House Majority Leader" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">House majority leader</a>, was initially the lead contender to succeed him, but the Freedom Caucus withheld its support.<sup id="cite_ref-34" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-34" style="text-decoration-line: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">[34]</a></sup><b>&nbsp;However, McCarthy withdrew from the race on October 8, 2015, after appearing to suggest that the&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Investigation_into_the_2012_Benghazi_attack" title="Investigation into the 2012 Benghazi attack" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">Benghazi investigation</a>‘s purpose had been to lower the approval ratings of&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hillary_Clinton" title="Hillary Clinton" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">Hillary Clinton</a></b></span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">.</span><sup id="cite_ref-35" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-35" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[35]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-36" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-36" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[36]</a></sup><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;On the same day as McCarthy’s withdrawal,&nbsp;</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reid_Ribble" title="Reid Ribble" style="background: none; text-decoration-line: none;"><b>Reid Ribble</b></a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><b>&nbsp;resigned </b>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.</span><sup id="cite_ref-ribble_37-0" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-ribble-37" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[37]</a></sup></font></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px;"><font face="Times New Roman" style="" size="4"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">On </span><b style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">October 20, 2015,&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Ryan" title="Paul Ryan" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Paul Ryan</a>&nbsp;announced that his bid for the&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speaker_of_the_United_States_House_of_Representatives" title="Speaker of the United States House of Representatives" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">speaker of the United States House of Representatives</a>&nbsp;was contingent on an official endorsement by the Freedom Caucus</b><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">.</span><sup id="cite_ref-38" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-38" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[38]</a></sup><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">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&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supermajority" title="Supermajority" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">supermajority</a>&nbsp;support for Ryan</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">.</span><sup id="cite_ref-39" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-39" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[39]</a></sup><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;On October 29, 2015, Ryan succeeded John Boehner as the speaker of the House.</span><sup id="cite_ref-40" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-40" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[40]</a></sup></font></p><h3 style="background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); margin: 0.3em 0px 0px; overflow: hidden; padding-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; border-bottom: 0px; line-height: 1.6;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span class="mw-headline" id="Backlash_in_2016">Backlash in 2016</span><span class="mw-editsection" style="user-select: none; font-weight: normal; margin-left: 1em; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1em; white-space: nowrap; unicode-bidi: isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-right: 0.25em;">[</span></span></font></h3><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px;"><font face="Times New Roman" style="" size="4"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">The </span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">group faced backlash from the Republican Party establishment during the 2016 election cycle.<sup id="cite_ref-41" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-41" style="text-decoration-line: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">[41]</a></sup><b>&nbsp;One of its members, Congressman&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Huelskamp" title="Tim Huelskamp" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">Tim Huelskamp</a>, a Tea Party Republican representing Kansas’ First District, was defeated during a primary election</b> on August 2, 2016, by&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Marshall(politician)" title="Roger Marshall (politician)" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">Roger Marshall</a></span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">.</span><sup id="cite_ref-42" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-42" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[42]</a></sup></font></p><h3 style="background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); margin: 0.3em 0px 0px; overflow: hidden; padding-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; border-bottom: 0px; line-height: 1.6;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span class="mw-headline" id="Rejection_of_American_Health_Care_Act_in_2017">Rejection of American Health Care Act in 2017</span><span class="mw-editsection" style="user-select: none; font-weight: normal; margin-left: 1em; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1em; white-space: nowrap; unicode-bidi: isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-right: 0.25em;">[</span></span></font></h3><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">On March 24, 2017, the&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Health_Care_Act" class="mw-redirect" title="American Health Care Act" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">American Health Care Act</a>&nbsp;(AHCA), the House Republican bill to repeal and replace the&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Affordable_Care_Act" class="mw-redirect" title="Affordable Care Act" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Affordable Care Act</a>, was withdrawn by Republican House speaker&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Ryan" title="Paul Ryan" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Paul Ryan</a>&nbsp;because it lacked the votes to pass, due in large part to opposition from Freedom Caucus Republicans.<sup id="cite_ref-43" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-43" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[43]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-44" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-44" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[44]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-45" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-45" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[45]</a></sup></font></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px;"><font face="Times New Roman" style="" size="4"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Two days later, </span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">President&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Trump" title="Donald Trump" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;publicly criticized the Freedom Caucus and other right-wing groups, such as the&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Club_for_Growth" title="Club for Growth" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">Club for Growth</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heritage_Action" title="Heritage Action" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">Heritage Action</a>, 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</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">!”</span><sup id="cite_ref-46" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-46" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[46]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-47" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-47" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[47]</a></sup><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;On the same day, Congressman&nbsp;</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_Poe" title="Ted Poe" style="background: none; text-decoration-line: none;">Ted Poe</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;of Texas resigned from the Freedom Caucus.</span><sup id="cite_ref-48" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-48" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[48]</a></sup><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;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).</span><sup id="cite_ref-49" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-49" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[49]</a></sup><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;V</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">ocal Freedom Caucus member&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justin_Amash" title="Justin Amash" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">Justin Amash</a>&nbsp;responded by accusing Trump of “succumb[ing] to the D.C. Establishment</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">.”</span><sup id="cite_ref-50" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-50" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[50]</a></sup></font></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><b>Trump has since developed a closer relationship with the caucus chair,&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Meadows(North_Carolina_politician)" title="Mark Meadows (North Carolina politician)" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Mark Meadows</a></b>.<sup id="cite_ref-51" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-51" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[51]</a></sup>&nbsp;In April 2018, Trump described four caucus members—Meadows,&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Jordan(American_politician)" title="Jim Jordan (American politician)" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Jim Jordan</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_DeSantis" title="Ron DeSantis" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Ron DeSantis</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matt_Gaetz" title="Matt Gaetz" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Matt Gaetz</a>—as “absolute warriors” for their defense of him during the course of the&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_Counsel_investigation(2017%E2%80%93present)" class="mw-redirect" title="Special Counsel investigation (2017–present)" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Special Counsel investigation</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-52" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-52" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[52]</a></sup></font></p><h3 style="background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); margin: 0.3em 0px 0px; overflow: hidden; padding-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; border-bottom: 0px; line-height: 1.6;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span class="mw-headline" id="Criticism_from_Boehner">Criticism from Boehner</span></font></h3><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px;"><font face="Times New Roman" style="" size="4"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">On </span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">October 30, 2017,&nbsp;<i style=""><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanity_Fair(magazine)" title="Vanity Fair (magazine)" style="text-decoration-line: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">Vanity Fair</a></i>&nbsp;published an interview with Republican former House speaker&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Boehner" title="John Boehner" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">John Boehner</a>, 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</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">."</span><sup id="cite_ref-53" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-53" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[53]</a></sup></font></p><h3 style="background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); margin: 0.3em 0px 0px; overflow: hidden; padding-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; border-bottom: 0px; line-height: 1.6;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span class="mw-headline" id="Impeachment_proceedings_against_President_Trump">Impeachment proceedings against President Trump</span><span class="mw-editsection" style="user-select: none; font-weight: normal; margin-left: 1em; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1em; white-space: nowrap; unicode-bidi: isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-right: 0.25em;">[</span></span></font></h3><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">In May 2019, the Freedom Caucus officially condemned one of its founding members,&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justin_Amash" title="Justin Amash" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Justin Amash</a>, after he called for the impeachment of President Trump.<sup id="cite_ref-54" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-54" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[54]</a></sup>&nbsp;Amash announced in June 2019 that he had left the caucus, saying "I didn't want to be a further distraction for the group."<sup id="cite_ref-AmashResign_55-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-AmashResign-55" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[55]</a></sup></font></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px;"><font face="Times New Roman" style="" size="4"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Members of the Freedom Caucus have taken an active role in the impeachment investigation into President Trump that was launched in September 2019. Members of the Caucus have called for the release of the full transcript of former U.S. special envoy to Ukraine&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kurt_Volker" title="Kurt Volker" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">Kurt Volker</a>’s testimony to Congress</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">.</span><sup id="cite_ref-56" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-56" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[56]</a></sup></font></p><h2 style="background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(162, 169, 177); line-height: 1.3;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span class="mw-headline" id="Membership">Membership</span></font></h2><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable" style="padding-left: 1.6em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="">See also:&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_members_of_the_Freedom_Caucus" title="List of members of the Freedom Caucus" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">List of members of the Freedom Caucus</a></font></div><div class="thumb tright" style="clear: right; float: right; margin: 0.5em 0px 1.3em 1.4em; width: auto; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><div class="thumbinner" style="min-width: 100px; border: 1px solid rgb(200, 204, 209); padding: 3px; background-color: rgb(248, 249, 250); text-align: center; overflow: hidden; width: 302px;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Freedom_Caucus_membership_114_congress.svg" class="image" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><img alt="" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/95/Freedom_Caucus_membership_114_congress.svg/300px-Freedom_Caucus_membership_114_congress.svg.png" decoding="async" width="300" height="174" class="thumbimage" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/95/Freedom_Caucus_membership_114_congress.svg/450px-Freedom_Caucus_membership_114_congress.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/95/Freedom_Caucus_membership_114_congress.svg/600px-Freedom_Caucus_membership_114_congress.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="1242" data-file-height="721" style="border: 1px solid rgb(200, 204, 209); vertical-align: middle; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" /></font></a><div class="thumbcaption" style="border: 0px; line-height: 1.4em; padding: 3px; text-align: left;"><div class="magnify" style="float: right; margin-left: 3px; margin-right: 0px;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Freedom_Caucus_membership_114_congress.svg" class="internal" title="Enlarge" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent), url(" w="w" resources="resources" src="src" mediawiki.skinning="mediawiki.skinning" images="images" magnify-clip-ltr.svg="magnify-clip-ltr.svg" e="e" display="display" block="block" text-indent="text-indent" px="px" white-space="white-space" nowrap="nowrap" overflow="overflow" hidden="hidden" width="width" height="height" user-select="user-select" none="none" /></div><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Freedom_Caucus_membership_114_congress.svg" class="internal" title="Enlarge" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent), url(" w="w" resources="resources" src="src" mediawiki.skinning="mediawiki.skinning" images="images" magnify-clip-ltr.svg="magnify-clip-ltr.svg" e="e" display="display" block="block" text-indent="text-indent" px="px" white-space="white-space" nowrap="nowrap" overflow="overflow" hidden="hidden" width="width" height="height" user-select="user-select" none="none"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Congressional districts of Freedom Caucus members of the 114th Congress (former members in light color; as of October 2015)</font></a></div></div></div><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Freedom_Caucus_membership_114_congress.svg" class="internal" title="Enlarge" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent), url(" w="w" resources="resources" src="src" mediawiki.skinning="mediawiki.skinning" images="images" magnify-clip-ltr.svg="magnify-clip-ltr.svg" e="e" display="display" block="block" text-indent="text-indent" px="px" white-space="white-space" nowrap="nowrap" overflow="overflow" hidden="hidden" width="width" height="height" user-select="user-select" none="none"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">The </span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">House Freedom Caucus does not disclose the names of its members.<sup id="cite_ref-Huetteman_57-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;" /></span></font></a><font face="Times New Roman" style="" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-Huetteman-57" style="text-decoration-line: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">[57]</a>&nbsp;In the&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/115th_United_States_Congress" title="115th United States Congress" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">115th</a>&nbsp;Congress, the group had about 36 members.<sup id="cite_ref-Huetteman_57-1" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-Huetteman-57" style="text-decoration-line: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">[57]</a></sup>&nbsp;A number of members have identified themselves, or have been identified by others, as members of the Freedom Caucus; as of September&nbsp;2019, those members include<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">:</span></font></p><div class="div-col columns column-width" style="margin-top: 0.3em; column-width: 18em;"><ul style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 1.6em; padding: 0px; list-style-image: url(" w="w" skins="skins" vector="Vector" images="images" bullet-icon.svg="bullet-icon.svg" f1="f1"><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em; break-inside: avoid-column;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4" style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andy_Biggs" title="Andy Biggs" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">Andy Biggs</a>&nbsp;of Arizona<sup id="cite_ref-58" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-58" style="text-decoration-line: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">[58]</a></sup></font></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em; break-inside: avoid-column;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4" style=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mo_Brooks" title="Mo Brooks" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">Mo Brooks</a>&nbsp;of Alabama</span><sup id="cite_ref-59" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-59" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none; background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);">[5</a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-59" style="background: none; text-decoration-line: none;">9]</a></sup></font></li><li style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-bottom: 0.1em; break-inside: avoid-column;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ken_Buck" title="Ken Buck" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Ken Buck</a>&nbsp;of Colorado<sup id="cite_ref-Dozen_60-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-Dozen-60" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[60]</a></sup></font></li><li style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-bottom: 0.1em; break-inside: avoid-column;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_Budd" title="Ted Budd" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Ted Budd</a>&nbsp;of North Carolina<sup id="cite_ref-61" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-61" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[61]</a></sup></font></li><li style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-bottom: 0.1em; break-inside: avoid-column;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Cline" title="Ben Cline" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Ben Cline</a>&nbsp;of Virginia<sup id="cite_ref-116th_62-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-116th-62" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[62]</a></sup></font></li><li style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-bottom: 0.1em; break-inside: avoid-column;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Cloud" title="Michael Cloud" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Michael Cloud</a>&nbsp;of Texas<sup id="cite_ref-116th_62-1" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-116th-62" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[62]</a></sup></font></li><li style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-bottom: 0.1em; break-inside: avoid-column;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warren_Davidson" title="Warren Davidson" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Warren Davidson</a>&nbsp;of Ohio<sup id="cite_ref-63" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-63" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[63]</a></sup></font></li><li style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-bottom: 0.1em; break-inside: avoid-column;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_DesJarlais" title="Scott DesJarlais" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Scott DesJarlais</a>&nbsp;of Tennessee<sup id="cite_ref-64" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-64" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[64]</a></sup></font></li><li style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-bottom: 0.1em; break-inside: avoid-column;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeff_Duncan(politician)" title="Jeff Duncan (politician)" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Jeff Duncan</a>&nbsp;of South Carolina<sup id="cite_ref-65" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-65" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[65]</a></sup></font></li><li style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-bottom: 0.1em; break-inside: avoid-column;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russ_Fulcher" title="Russ Fulcher" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Russ Fulcher</a>&nbsp;of Idaho<sup id="cite_ref-116th_62-2" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-116th-62" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[62]</a></sup></font></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em; break-inside: avoid-column;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4" style=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matt_Gaetz" title="Matt Gaetz" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">Matt<b style=""> Gaetz</b></a><b style="">&nbsp;of Florida</b></span><sup id="cite_ref-66" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-66" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[66]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-67" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-67" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[67]</a></sup></font></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em; break-inside: avoid-column;"><font face="Times New Roman" style="" size="4"><b style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louie_Gohmert" title="Louie Gohmert" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">Louie Gohmert</a>&nbsp;of Texas</b><sup id="cite_ref-Ted_68-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-Ted-68" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;"><b style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);">[</b></a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-Ted-68" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;"><b style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);">6</b>8]</a></sup></font></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em; break-inside: avoid-column;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4" style=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Gosar" title="Paul Gosar" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">Paul <b style="">Gosar</b></a><b style="">&nbsp;</b>of Arizona</span><sup id="cite_ref-69" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-69" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[69]</a></sup></font></li><li style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-bottom: 0.1em; break-inside: avoid-column;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_E.Green" title="Mark E. Green" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Mark E. Green</a>&nbsp;of Tennessee<sup id="cite_ref-116th_62-3" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-116th-62" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[62]</a></sup></font></li><li style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-bottom: 0.1em; break-inside: avoid-column;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morgan_Griffith" title="Morgan Griffith" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Morgan Griffith</a>&nbsp;of Virginia<sup id="cite_ref-Versus_10-1" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-Versus-10" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[10]</a></sup></font></li><li style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-bottom: 0.1em; break-inside: avoid-column;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andy_Harris(politician)" title="Andy Harris (politician)" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Andy Harris</a>&nbsp;of Maryland<sup id="cite_ref-blogs.rollcall.com_70-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-blogs.rollcall.com-70" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[70]</a></sup></font></li><li style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-bottom: 0.1em; break-inside: avoid-column;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jody_Hice" title="Jody Hice" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Jody<b> Hice</b></a><b>&nbsp;of Georgia</b><sup id="cite_ref-Can_the_house_71-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-Can_the_house-71" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><b>[</b>71]</a></sup></font></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em; break-inside: avoid-column;"><font face="Times New Roman" style="" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Jordan(U.S.politician)" class="mw-redirect" title="Jim Jordan (U.S. politician)" style="background: none; text-decoration-line: none;">Jim </a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 204, 102);"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Jordan(U.S.politician)" class="mw-redirect" title="Jim Jordan (U.S. politician)" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">Jordan</a>&nbsp;of Ohio</span><sup id="cite_ref-Nine_72-0" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-Nine-72" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[72]</a></sup></font></li><li style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-bottom: 0.1em; break-inside: avoid-column;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Debbie_Lesko" title="Debbie Lesko" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Debbie Lesko</a>&nbsp;of Arizona<sup id="cite_ref-73" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-73" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[73]</a></sup></font></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em; break-inside: avoid-column;"><font face="Times New Roman" style="" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Meadows(North_Carolina_politician)" title="Mark Meadows (North Carolina politician)" style="background: none; text-decoration-line: none;">Mark </a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Meadows(North_Carolina_politician)" title="Mark Meadows (North Carolina politician)" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none; background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);">Meadows</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;of North Carolina</span><sup id="cite_ref-Nine_72-1" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-Nine-72" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[72]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-Huetteman_57-2" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-Huetteman-57" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[57]</a></sup></font></li><li style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-bottom: 0.1em; break-inside: avoid-column;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alex_Mooney" title="Alex Mooney" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Alex Mooney</a>&nbsp;of West Virginia<sup id="cite_ref-blogs.rollcall.com_70-1" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-blogs.rollcall.com-70" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[70]</a></sup></font></li><li style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-bottom: 0.1em; break-inside: avoid-column;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greg_Murphy(politician)" title="Greg Murphy (politician)" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Greg Murphy</a>&nbsp;of North Carolina (won special election)<sup id="cite_ref-74" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-74" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[74]</a></sup></font></li><li style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-bottom: 0.1em; break-inside: avoid-column;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ralph_Norman" title="Ralph Norman" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Ralph Norman</a>&nbsp;of South Carolina<sup id="cite_ref-75" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-75" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[75]</a></sup></font></li><li style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-bottom: 0.1em; break-inside: avoid-column;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Palmer(politician)" title="Gary Palmer (politician)" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Gary Palmer</a>&nbsp;of Alabama<sup id="cite_ref-Vies_76-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-Vies-76" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[76]</a></sup></font></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em; break-inside: avoid-column;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4" style=""><b style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Perry(politician)" title="Scott Perry (politician)" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">Scott Perry</a>&nbsp;of Pennsylvania</b><sup id="cite_ref-blogs.rollcall.com_70-2" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-blogs.rollcall.com-70" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[70]</a></sup></font></li><li style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-bottom: 0.1em; break-inside: avoid-column;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Posey" title="Bill Posey" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Bill Posey</a>&nbsp;of Florida<sup id="cite_ref-blogs.rollcall.com_70-3" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-blogs.rollcall.com-70" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[70]</a></sup></font></li><li style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-bottom: 0.1em; break-inside: avoid-column;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denver_Riggleman" title="Denver Riggleman" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Denver Riggleman</a>&nbsp;of Virginia<sup id="cite_ref-116th_62-4" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-116th-62" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[62]</a></sup></font></li><li style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-bottom: 0.1em; break-inside: avoid-column;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chip_Roy" title="Chip Roy" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Chip Roy</a>&nbsp;of Texas</b><sup id="cite_ref-116th_62-5" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-116th-62" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[62]</a></sup></font></li><li style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-bottom: 0.1em; break-inside: avoid-column;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Schweikert" title="David Schweikert" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">David <b>Schweikert</b></a><b>&nbsp;of Arizona</b><sup id="cite_ref-Dozen_60-1" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-Dozen-60" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[60]</a></sup></font></li><li style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-bottom: 0.1em; break-inside: avoid-column;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Randy_Weber" title="Randy Weber" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Randy Weber</a>&nbsp;of Texas<sup id="cite_ref-pewwho_77-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-pewwho-77" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[77]</a></sup></font></li><li style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-bottom: 0.1em; break-inside: avoid-column;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_Wright(politician)" title="Ron Wright (politician)" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Ron Wright</a>&nbsp;of Texas&nbsp;<sup id="cite_ref-116th_62-6" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-116th-62" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[62]</a></sup></font></li><li style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-bottom: 0.1em; break-inside: avoid-column;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_Yoho" title="Ted Yoho" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Ted <b>Yoho</b></a><b>&nbsp;of Florida</b><sup id="cite_ref-pewwho_77-1" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-pewwho-77" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[77]</a></sup></font></li></ul></div><h3 style="background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); margin: 0.3em 0px 0px; overflow: hidden; padding-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; border-bottom: 0px; line-height: 1.6;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span class="mw-headline" id="Leadership">Leadership</span><span class="mw-editsection" style="user-select: none; font-weight: normal; margin-left: 1em; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1em; white-space: nowrap; unicode-bidi: isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-right: 0.25em;">[</span></span></font></h3><table class="wikitable" style="background-color: rgb(248, 249, 250); margin: 1em 0px; border: 1px solid rgb(162, 169, 177); border-collapse: collapse;"><tbody><tr><th style="border: 1px solid rgb(162, 169, 177); padding: 0.2em 0.4em; background-color: rgb(234, 236, 240); text-align: center;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Term start</font></th><th style="border: 1px solid rgb(162, 169, 177); padding: 0.2em 0.4em; background-color: rgb(234, 236, 240); text-align: center;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Term end</font></th><th style="border: 1px solid rgb(162, 169, 177); padding: 0.2em 0.4em; background-color: rgb(234, 236, 240); text-align: center;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Chair</font></th></tr><tr><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(162, 169, 177); padding: 0.2em 0.4em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">January 26, 2015</font></td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(162, 169, 177); padding: 0.2em 0.4em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">January 3, 2017</font></td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(162, 169, 177); padding: 0.2em 0.4em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Jordan(U.S.politician)" class="mw-redirect" title="Jim Jordan (U.S. politician)" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">Jim Jordan</font></a></td></tr><tr><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(162, 169, 177); padding: 0.2em 0.4em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">January 3, 2017</font></td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(162, 169, 177); padding: 0.2em 0.4em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">October 1, 2019</font></td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(162, 169, 177); padding: 0.2em 0.4em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Meadows(North_Carolina_politician)" title="Mark Meadows (North Carolina politician)" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">Mark Meadows</font></a></td></tr><tr><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(162, 169, 177); padding: 0.2em 0.4em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">October 1, 2019</font></td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(162, 169, 177); padding: 0.2em 0.4em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Present</font></td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(162, 169, 177); padding: 0.2em 0.4em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andy_Biggs" title="Andy Biggs" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">Andy Biggs</font></a></td></tr></tbody></table><table class="wikitable" style="background-color: rgb(248, 249, 250); margin: 1em 0px; border: 1px solid rgb(162, 169, 177); border-collapse: collapse;"><tbody><tr><th style="border: 1px solid rgb(162, 169, 177); padding: 0.2em 0.4em; background-color: rgb(234, 236, 240); text-align: center;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Term start</font></th><th style="border: 1px solid rgb(162, 169, 177); padding: 0.2em 0.4em; background-color: rgb(234, 236, 240); text-align: center;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Term end</font></th><th style="border: 1px solid rgb(162, 169, 177); padding: 0.2em 0.4em; background-color: rgb(234, 236, 240); text-align: center;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Vice-Chair</font></th></tr><tr><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(162, 169, 177); padding: 0.2em 0.4em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">January 3, 2017</font></td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(162, 169, 177); padding: 0.2em 0.4em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Present</font></td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(162, 169, 177); padding: 0.2em 0.4em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Jordan(U.S.politician)" class="mw-redirect" title="Jim Jordan (U.S. politician)" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">Jim Jordan</font></a></td></tr></tbody></table><h3 style="background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); margin: 0.3em 0px 0px; overflow: hidden; padding-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; border-bottom: 0px; line-height: 1.6;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span class="mw-headline" id="Former_members">Former members</span><span class="mw-editsection" style="user-select: none; font-weight: normal; margin-left: 1em; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1em; white-space: nowrap; unicode-bidi: isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-right: 0.25em;">[</span></span></font></h3><div class="div-col columns column-width" style="margin-top: 0.3em; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); column-width: 18em;"><ul style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 1.6em; padding: 0px; list-style-image: url(" w="w" skins="skins" vector="Vector" images="images" bullet-icon.svg="bullet-icon.svg" f1="f1"><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em; break-inside: avoid-column;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justin_Amash" title="Justin Amash" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Justin Amash</a>&nbsp;of Michigan (resigned from the caucus in 2019)<sup id="cite_ref-AmashResign_55-1" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-AmashResign-55" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[55]</a></sup></font></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em; break-inside: avoid-column;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Babin" title="Brian Babin" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Brian Babin</a>&nbsp;of Texas (resigned from the caucus in 2017)<sup id="cite_ref-78" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-78" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[78]</a></sup></font></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em; break-inside: avoid-column;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Barton" title="Joe Barton" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Joe Barton</a>&nbsp;of Texas (retired in 2018)<sup id="cite_ref-Ted_68-1" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-Ted-68" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[68]</a></sup></font></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em; break-inside: avoid-column;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rod_Blum" title="Rod Blum" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Rod Blum</a>&nbsp;of Iowa (defeated in 2018 general election)<sup id="cite_ref-blogs.rollcall.com_70-4" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-blogs.rollcall.com-70" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[70]</a></sup></font></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em; break-inside: avoid-column;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dave_Brat" title="Dave Brat" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Dave Brat</a>&nbsp;of Virginia (defeated in 2018 general election)<sup id="cite_ref-79" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-79" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[79]</a></sup></font></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em; break-inside: avoid-column;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Bridenstine" title="Jim Bridenstine" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Jim Bridenstine</a>&nbsp;of Oklahoma (appointed in 2018 as&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Administrator_of_NASA" class="mw-redirect" title="Administrator of NASA" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Administrator of NASA</a>)<sup id="cite_ref-Vies_76-1" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-Vies-76" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[76]</a></sup></font></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em; break-inside: avoid-column;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curt_Clawson" title="Curt Clawson" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Curt Clawson</a>&nbsp;of Florida (retired in 2016)<sup id="cite_ref-80" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-80" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[80]</a></sup></font></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em; break-inside: avoid-column;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_DeSantis" title="Ron DeSantis" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Ron DeSantis</a>&nbsp;of Florida<sup id="cite_ref-Nine_72-2" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-Nine-72" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[72]</a></sup>(successfully ran for governor of Florida in 2018)</font></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em; break-inside: avoid-column;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Fleming(American_politician)" title="John Fleming (American politician)" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">John Fleming</a>&nbsp;of Louisiana (defeated in 2016 US Senate primary election)<sup id="cite_ref-81" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-81" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[81]</a></sup></font></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em; break-inside: avoid-column;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Garrett" title="Scott Garrett" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Scott Garrett</a>&nbsp;of New Jersey (defeated in 2016 general election)<sup id="cite_ref-Nine_72-3" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-Nine-72" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[72]</a></sup></font></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em; break-inside: avoid-column;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Garrett_Jr." class="mw-redirect" title="Tom Garrett Jr." style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Tom Garrett Jr.</a>&nbsp;of Virginia (retired in 2018)<sup id="cite_ref-82" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-82" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[82]</a></sup></font></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em; break-inside: avoid-column;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Huelskamp" title="Tim Huelskamp" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Tim Huelskamp</a>&nbsp;of Kansas (defeated in 2016 primary election)<sup id="cite_ref-83" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-83" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[83]</a></sup></font></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em; break-inside: avoid-column;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ra%C3%BAl_Labrador" title="Raúl Labrador" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Raúl Labrador</a>&nbsp;of Idaho (retired in 2018; defeated in primary election for governor of Idaho)<sup id="cite_ref-Nine_72-4" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-Nine-72" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[72]</a></sup></font></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em; break-inside: avoid-column;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doug_Lamborn" title="Doug Lamborn" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Doug Lamborn</a>&nbsp;of Colorado (resigned in 2016)<sup id="cite_ref-84" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-84" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[84]</a></sup></font></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em; break-inside: avoid-column;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barry_Loudermilk" title="Barry Loudermilk" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Barry Loudermilk</a>&nbsp;of Georgia (declined to renew membership for the&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/115th_Congress" class="mw-redirect" title="115th Congress" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">115th Congress</a>)<sup id="cite_ref-Can_the_house_71-1" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-Can_the_house-71" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[71]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-85" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-85" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[85]</a></sup></font></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em; break-inside: avoid-column;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cynthia_Lummis" title="Cynthia Lummis" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Cynthia Lummis</a>&nbsp;of Wyoming (retired in 2016;<sup id="cite_ref-Dozen_60-2" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-Dozen-60" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[60]</a></sup>&nbsp;the only identified female member at the time)</font></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em; break-inside: avoid-column;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_McClintock" title="Tom McClintock" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Tom McClintock</a>&nbsp;of California (resigned from the caucus on September 16, 2015)<sup id="cite_ref-Vies_76-2" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-Vies-76" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[76]</a></sup></font></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em; break-inside: avoid-column;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mick_Mulvaney" title="Mick Mulvaney" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Mick Mulvaney</a>&nbsp;of South Carolina (confirmed in 2017 as director of the&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Office_of_Management_and_Budget" title="Office of Management and Budget" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Office of Management and Budget</a>)<sup id="cite_ref-Nine_72-5" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-Nine-72" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[72]</a></sup></font></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em; break-inside: avoid-column;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Pearce(politician)" title="Steve Pearce (politician)" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Steve Pearce</a>&nbsp;of New Mexico (retired in 2018; ran for governor of New Mexico and lost)<sup id="cite_ref-Dozen_60-3" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-Dozen-60" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[60]</a></sup></font></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em; break-inside: avoid-column;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_Poe" title="Ted Poe" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Ted Poe</a>&nbsp;of Texas (resigned from caucus March 26, 2017 after AHCA was withdrawn)<sup id="cite_ref-86" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-86" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[86]</a></sup></font></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em; break-inside: avoid-column;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reid_Ribble" title="Reid Ribble" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Reid Ribble</a>&nbsp;of Wisconsin (resigned from the caucus on October 9, 2015)<sup id="cite_ref-ribble_37-1" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-ribble-37" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[37]</a></sup></font></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em; break-inside: avoid-column;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dana_Rohrabacher" title="Dana Rohrabacher" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Dana Rohrabacher</a>&nbsp;of California (defeated in 2018 general election)<sup id="cite_ref-Kelli_Ward_for_U.S.Senate_87-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-Kelli_Ward_for_U.S.Senate-87" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[87]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-The_Tennessee_Journal_88-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-The_Tennessee_Journal-88" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[88]</a></sup></font></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em; break-inside: avoid-column;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keith_Rothfus" title="Keith Rothfus" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Keith Rothfus</a>&nbsp;of Pennsylvania (resigned from the caucus in 2016, defeated in redistricted 2018 general election)<sup id="cite_ref-89" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-89" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[89]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-90" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-90" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[90]</a></sup></font></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em; break-inside: avoid-column;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matt_Salmon" title="Matt Salmon" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Matt Salmon</a>&nbsp;of Arizona (retired in 2016)<sup id="cite_ref-Nine_72-6" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-Nine-72" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[72]</a></sup></font></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em; break-inside: avoid-column;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Sanford" title="Mark Sanford" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Mark Sanford</a>&nbsp;of South Carolina (defeated in 2018 primary election)<sup id="cite_ref-blogs.rollcall.com_70-5" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-blogs.rollcall.com-70" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[70]</a></sup></font></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em; break-inside: avoid-column;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marlin_Stutzman" title="Marlin Stutzman" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Marlin Stutzman</a>&nbsp;of Indiana (ran unsuccessfully for U.S. Senate in 2016)<sup id="cite_ref-blogs.rollcall.com_70-6" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-blogs.rollcall.com-70" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[70]</a></sup></font></li></ul></div><h2 style="background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(162, 169, 177); line-height: 1.3;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span class="mw-headline" id="See_also">See also</span><span class="mw-editsection" style="user-select: none; margin-left: 1em; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1em; white-space: nowrap; unicode-bidi: isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-right: 0.25em;">[</span></span></font></h2><ul style="margin: 0.3em 0px 0px 1.6em; padding: 0px; list-style-image: url(" w="w" skins="skins" vector="Vector" images="images" bullet-icon.svg="bullet-icon.svg" f1="f1" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb"><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Dog_Coalition" title="Blue Dog Coalition" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">Blue Dog Coalition</font></a></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Factions_in_the_Republican_Party(United_States)" title="Factions in the Republican Party (United States)" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">Factions in the Republican Party (United States)</font></a></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberty_Caucus" title="Liberty Caucus" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">Liberty Caucus</font></a></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republican_Liberty_Caucus" title="Republican Liberty Caucus" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">Republican Liberty Caucus</font></a></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republican_Main_Street_Partnership" title="Republican Main Street Partnership" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">Republican Main Street Partnership</font></a></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tea_Party_Caucus" title="Tea Party Caucus" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">Tea Party Caucus</font></a></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuesday_Group" title="Tuesday Group" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">Tuesday Group</font></a></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Amendment_Caucus" title="Second Amendment Caucus" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">Second Amendment Caucus</font></a></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caucuses_of_the_United_States_Congress" title="Caucuses of the United States Congress" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">Caucuses of the United States Congress</font></a></li></ul><h2 style="background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(162, 169, 177); line-height: 1.3;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span class="mw-headline" id="Further_reading">Further reading</span><span class="mw-editsection" style="user-select: none; margin-left: 1em; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1em; white-space: nowrap; unicode-bidi: isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-right: 0.25em;">[</span></span></font></h2><ul style="margin: 0.3em 0px 0px 1.6em; padding: 0px; list-style-image: url(" w="w" skins="skins" vector="Vector" images="images" bullet-icon.svg="bullet-icon.svg" f1="f1" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb"><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/legislative-hardball/37488C1E94117DFBFF924E5B67188E07" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" w="w" skins="skins" vector="Vector" images="images" external-link-ltr-icon.svg="external-link-ltr-icon.svg" b4b84="b4b84" padding-right="padding-right" px="px"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">Green, Matthew (2019). Legislative Hardball: The House Freedom Caucus and the Power of Threat-Making in Congress. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.</font></a></li></ul><h2 style="background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(162, 169, 177); line-height: 1.3;"><span class="mw-headline" id="References"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Reference</font></span></h2></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2019/12/the-decade-republicans-hijacked-our-democracy-via-the-gerrymander/" style="text-decoration-line: none; outline: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000" style="">https://www.alternet.org/2019/12/the-decade-republicans-hijacked-our-democracy-via-the-gerrymander/</font></a></p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">no lnx</font></p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>The decade Republicans hijacked our democracy — via the gerrymander</b></font></p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Written by David Daley / Salon&nbsp;<b>December 30, 2019</b></font></p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">As this decade comes to a close, 59 million Americans live in a state where one or both chambers of the state legislature is controlled by the party that got fewer votes in the 2018 election.</font></p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">In Wisconsin in 2018, voters elected a Democratic U.S. senator, defeated an incumbent Republican governor, picked Democrats for every statewide office, and favored Democratic candidates for the state assembly by more than 200,000 ballots. Republicans nevertheless controlled more than 63 percent of the seats.</font></p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><b>We end the 2020s with voter purges in Ohio, Wisconsin and Georgia</b>, with precinct closures weaponized to lower voter participation across the South, with Texas, Tennessee and Florida making it harder to register new voters. The ball drops on the 2010s with state legislatures in Florida, Michigan and Missouri willing to undo voting reforms approved by upwards of 60 percent of the people via initiative.</font></p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">One of our final images of the U.S. House will be the floor debate over impeachment, with its dueling images of older, white men defending the president’s actions over Ukraine and younger members, largely women and people of color, insisting that no one, even a president, stand above the law.</font></p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">White men make up a smaller slice of the American electorate with each election. Yet they maintain outsized power in Congress and state legislatures. A new decade dawns with a crisis of representation that threatens the integrity of representative democracy itself.</font></p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>We’re in this mess, in many ways, because of gerrymandering. This was the decade that the gerrymander — perhaps the oldest political trick in the book — pushed American politics into a dangerous state of anti-majoritarianism, grounded in racial fear and identity politics, that may take at least another decade to overcome, assuming we ever do so.</b></font></p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>It’s worth remembering how we got here</b>.&nbsp;<b>After all, the decade began with the likelihood that changing American demographics might push the nation in a very different direction.</b></font></p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">As thousands celebrated America’s first black president in Chicago’s Grant Park on election night 2008, the smartest analysts on every network, left and right, watched Barack Obama defeat John McCain and wondered whether an increasingly diverse nation might render Republicans a minority party for decades.</font></p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Top Republican strategists had a different idea. The 2008 election might have been historic, they understood, but 2010 had the potential to be transformative. Every state legislative and congressional district in the nation would be redrawn after the 2010 census. State legislatures would draw most of the lines. If Obama and the Democrats suffered a difficult midterm election, as new presidents often do, Republicans could quickly change their fortunes, dominate redistricting, and draw themselves an enduring advantage, even in competitive states they’d lost in 2008, such as Wisconsin, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Michigan.</font></p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>The GOP plan — known as REDMAP, or the Redistricting Majority Project — was headquartered at the Republican State Leadership Committee, led by former party chairman Ed Gillespie.</b>&nbsp;<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 204, 102);">It was announced on the op-ed page of the Wall Street Journal by no less than GOP mastermind Karl Rove.</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">&nbsp;The RSLC’s key benefactors included Koch Industries, Walmart, Reynolds American and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. The RSLC identified just over 100 state legislative races in crucial states, and drowned Democratic incumbents in waves of sophisticated negative advertisements in the final weeks of the 2010 race. (It helped that cocky Democrats snoozed on the importance of redistricting and barely put up any fight.) And when it came time to remap these states in 2011, using the most exacting voter data and&nbsp;<b>sophisticated mapping technology ever deployed&nbsp;</b>on redistricting, the political operations of new House Speaker John Boehner, Paul Ryan and many other establishment figures would play key roles.</span></font></p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><b>It worked. In 2012, the first election held under these lines, Democratic U.S. House candidates won 1.4 million more votes than Republicans nationwide. Republicans held the chambers nevertheless, decisively, 234-201</b>. In targeted swing states like Pennsylvania and Michigan, Democratic candidates would earn tens of thousands more votes, but the Republican-drawn districts packed and cracked those votes so precisely that the GOP would win 13 of the 18 seats from Pennsylvania and nine of 14 from Michigan. Democratic state legislative candidates would routinely win more votes in these states as well; Republicans would hold both chambers in Michigan, Ohio, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin regardless.</font></p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>So yes, it worked. But it also contained the seeds of the party’s unraveling, placed a frustrated and impossible-to-please base in charge, and set the stage for an outsider to sweep up the pieces four years later.</b></font></p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">But first, something else would happen in 2012: Barack Obama defeated Mitt Romney, and shaken Republicans realized they’d lost the popular vote in five out of six presidential elections, GOP leaders commissioned a warts-and-all diagnosis of the party’s brand. It wasn’t pretty. One-time Republican voters now described the party as “scary,” “out of touch,” “narrow-minded,” even “stuffy old men.”</font></p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Its authors named the report the Growth and Opportunity Project but it soon became known by everyone as something catchier and more urgent: the Republican autopsy. Among the causes of death? Republicans had “lost their way with younger voters.” Many minorities “think that Republicans do not like them or want them in the country.”</font></p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">It recommended that the p</span><b><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">arty modernize itself,&nbsp;</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 204, 102);">learn how to persuade and appeal</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">&nbsp;to a wider variety of people, champion policies that make life better for working Americans rather than the rich, then head to communities Republicans had tended to avoid and make their case.</span></b><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">&nbsp;“We need to campaign among Hispanic, black, Asian and gay Americans and demonstrate that we care about them, too,” the autopsy concluded.</span></font></p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">When Donald Trump captured the GOP nomination in 2016, many Republicans bemoaned not following this advice from the autopsy and more, such as championing immigration reform and becoming genuinely welcoming and inclusive on social issues. But it was already too late. The autopsy itself had been dead on arrival, and long before Trump descended his gilded Manhattan escalator and joined the Republican race. It had already been smothered, unaware, by the very Republican establishment who commissioned the report.</font></p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">REDMAP made it impossible.</font></p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style=""><b style="background-color: rgb(255, 204, 102);">The new districts drawn by Republicans made their districts older, whiter, and more conservative. These new districts — where the Republican primary was the only race that mattered — produced a different kind of congressman (and most of them were men), incentivized against compromise, insulated from the ballot box, interested in listening only to their base.</b></font></p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>These members also didn’t much care for the Republican establishment in Washington.</b>&nbsp;They would bring a much different tone and tenor to Congress. Boehner, now the House speaker, learned this right quick. In summer 2013, a first-term congressman from North Carolina’s 11th district wrote Boehner a letter, suggesting that the GOP look to defund Obamacare by threatening a government shutdown. Boehner knew it was folly. Democrats controlled the White House and the Senate. It was a strategy doomed to fail. Rove blasted it in the Wall Street Journal.</font></p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 204, 102);">But<b style="">&nbsp;Mark Meadows</b>&nbsp;enlisted 79 other Republicans in this quest.</font><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"> His own district, previously a swing district that most recently produced a conservative Democrat, had been redrawn so that he captured it by more than 15 percentage points. It was 87 percent white.</font></p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">In the New Yorker, Ryan Lizza and David Wasserman looked at the districts of the 80 signatories. They were, on average, 75 percent white and just 9 percent Latino, compared to an average district that’s 63 percent white and 17 percent Latino. In 2012, Obama won the national popular vote by 4 percentage points. In those districts, Romney won by an average of 23. The Republican members exceeded even that landslide margin: They won their seats by an average of 34 percentage points. As the nation changed, redistricting not only held back demographic change, but it turned back the clock and solidified conservative white power. As Lizza concluded,&nbsp;<b>“these 80 members represent an America where the population is getting whiter, where there are few major cities, where Obama lost the last election in a landslide, and where the Republican Party is becoming more dominant and more popular. Meanwhile, in national politics, each of these trends is actually reversed.”</b></font></p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Boehner, given little choice, followed the </span><b style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);">“suicide caucus”</b><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"> over the cliff. Predictably, disaster ensued and he had to change course. And predictably, the “suicide caucus” saw no reason to compromise or change its own. This was just one of more than four dozen battles to repeal Obamacare in the House, none of which stood any greater likelihood of victory.</span><b style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">&nbsp;Immigration reform, one of the only policy options the autopsy’s authors saw as crucial for the party’s future, stood no chance in this climate</b><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">.</span></font></p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Neither did the GOP leadership. A year later,<b>&nbsp;Meadows&nbsp;</b>would turn on Boehner, filing a parliamentary motion to “vacate the chair” that would ultimately lead to the speaker’s resignation.</font></p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">The House had been set on a dangerous new course. REDMAP, like some Frankenstein’s monster, would not only devour Boehner, but the</span><b><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">&nbsp;new members empowered by these toxic, technology-driven gerrymanders</span>&nbsp;<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">would&nbsp;</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 204, 102);">accelerate all of the worst polarizing trends in our politics.</span></b><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 204, 102);">&nbsp;</span></font><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">The Freedom Caucus, legislators created and empowered by REDMAP, would run the House. Ryan, Boehner’s&nbsp; successor, would later step aside in frustration as well, proven ineffective despite GOP control of Congress and the White House. The autopsy wouldn’t be worth the paper it was printed on. The GOP establishment hoped that controlling redistricting would buy themselves time to set a new course. Instead, the party’s course, and our nation’s history, would beset by the new leaders that their gerrymandering rendered unbeatable and uncontrollable.</font></p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Did Boehner learn any lesson from his unholy creation? Well, earlier this month he and Ryan signed on as chairs of a Speakers Advisory Council generated to fundraise for the REDMAP creators’ 2020 redistricting strategy.</font></p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Here’s the thing: When you’re trying to ensure that the side with less support continues to hold power, when you’re trying to maintain control without talking to a changing nation, your tactics aren’t likely to end with redistricting</b>. [MAX X DRIVES<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 204, 102);">&nbsp;SYS&nbsp;</span>OUT OF BALANCE --> UNINTENDED CONSEQ AND SYS FAIL?]</font></p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Indeed,&nbsp;<b>efforts to make it harder for citizens to vote were among the very first actions by gerrymandered state legislatures<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">,</span></b><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">&nbsp;especially in Wisconsin and North Carolina, where a federal court found that those barriers were “surgically” crafted to target blacks. Gerrymandered legislatures can take such anti-democratic actions because the people’s representatives need not fear the judgement of the people</span>. [no FEEDBACK] And after the U.S. Supreme Court [MOD] undid essential protections within the Voting Rights Act, in the 2013 case Shelby County v. Holder, states and other entities didn’t have to fear the courts, [DISABLE CHECKS AND BALANCE] either, when they wanted to change the rules around voting. Across much of the nation, but especially in the South, as well as in states with one-party control and newly gerrymandered legislatures, came a<b>&nbsp;flood of voter ID bills, cutbacks in absentee and early voting, voter roll purges, precinct closures and more.</b></font></p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Gerrymandered legislatures felt free to ignore the will of the people. Other legislatures followed along. In Florida, for example, where 64 percent of voters approved a 2018 state constitutional amendment ending&nbsp;<b>felony disenfranchisement,</b>&nbsp;lawmakers added an additional burden instead — complete repayment of any fines and fees connected to the sentence or prison term — that many critics compared to a poll tax<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">. Legislators also undermined a legal victory allowing campus sites to be used for early voting with a sneaky provision that requires something always at a premium on colleges: Easy parking.</span></font></p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Texas would make it a felony for anyone to cast an ineligible ballot, even by accident.</b>&nbsp;Arizona looked to dial back early voting and expand voter ID requirements.&nbsp;<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Tennessee passed legislation that would make it put those who run voter registration drives in jeopardy of massive fines if they submitted too many incomplete applications.</span>&nbsp;Indiana made it harder to sue in state court to extend voting hours, often necessary when machines malfunction or when lines are long.<b>&nbsp;Legislatures in Missouri, Utah, Michigan and Idaho worked to unwind popular 2018 initiatives won by citizens demanding reforms politicians had refused to make.</b></font></p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">And so we end this decade with the water in Flint still undrinkable, thanks to gerrymandering.</font></p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">In 2011, Michigan’s GOP-controlled legislature dramatically expanded the state’s power to take over financially struggling municipalities and place them under the control of a state-appointed emergency manager. Angry voters toppled the law in a November 2012 ballot initiative, concluding that it gave the state too much power to usurp local control and run roughshod over elected officials. One month later, lawmakers ignored the public and reinstated the program.</font></p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Then, in 2014, the emergency manager appointed to run Flint changed the city’s water supply to the Flint River and decided against installing corrosion inhibitors to properly treat the water,&nbsp;<b>saving an estimated $140 a day</b>. It sparked a lead contamination crisis and an outbreak of Legionnaire’s disease that killed 12 people and sickened hundreds of children.</font></p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>And so we end this decade with fetal heartbeat laws on the march in aggressively gerrymandered states like Ohio, Georgia and Alabama, that would enact abortion restrictions dramatically out of sync with the wishes of voters even in these red states.</b></font></p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">And so we end this decade with a national consensus on&nbsp;<b>gun control&nbsp;</b>and putting an end to the horrifically numbing routine of mass shootings, but an anti-majoritarian and broken political system where large majorities are ever-stymied and unable, again and again, to translate the will of the people into action.&nbsp;<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 204, 102);">The decade closes with consensus on climate change, but progress and agreements being rolled back.</span></font></p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">We stand on the verge of the next redistricting cycle, which will begin in 2021, without the prospect of intervention from the federal courts, with the gerrymander wars headed south and the prospect of states using citizen population, rather than total population, to draw state legislative districts, all, again, with the goal of standing athwart demographic change and shouting “stop.”</font></p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">These wars will be fought with Democrats, at last, fully awakened and focused on state legislatures. They’ll take place with dramatically more public awareness and media attention paid to the importance of structural voting issues that once made eyes glaze over. And they’ll be undertaken with solid majorities of Americans of all ideologies backing rules and reforms enshrine the best promises of our democracy.</font></p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>But the damage that has done is severe and will be long-lasting.</b>&nbsp;Forty years ago, when Raymond Donovan, the labor secretary under Ronald Reagan, was acquitted on fraud and larceny charges, he famously asked “Which office do I go to to get my reputation back.” We should all pose the same question about the way urgent issues went unaddressed during this bitter and polarized decade, stolen from us, in part, by the gerrymander.</font></p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">It may require a generation to repair the damage to our civic fabric from this decade’s cynical and corrosive festival of partisan gerrymandering. It helped heightened and accelerated polarization, extremism and our dysfunctional politics. It’s incumbent on all of us to ensure it doesn’t get worse before it gets better. There may not be any battle in the next decade that’s more urgent.</font></p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">David Daley, a former editor of Salon, is the author of the national bestseller “Ratfked: Why Your Vote Doesn’t Count” and the forthcoming “Unrigged: How Americans Fought Back, Slayed the Gerrymander and Reinvented Democracy.”</font></p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></p></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>voter ID says tp 2010 wave set up disenfranchise by giving (states?) power to gerry,</b> which they need b/c of demograhic erosion?</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">see rooney politico on impeach:</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">...</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>This could prove to be Trump’s salvation. Even among those Republicans not predisposed to defending him, there is the silhouette of an emerging consensus: That the president’s dealings with Ukraine were foolish, unbecoming and unfortunate—but not impeachable.</b></font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Even Sanford admits that if he were still a voting member, he wouldn’t be ready to support impeachment. “I think there’s a very weighty, complex judgment to be made here,” he says. “I object to this president on a variety of levels. But I would still say another shoe has to drop.” Sanford pauses. “Then again, this is a guy who said he could shoot somebody on 5th Avenue and get away with it, and he was pretty clairvoyant on that front. So, I don’t know what that shoe would have to look like.”</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Mark Sanford, a former South Carolina congressman and governor, campaigns in Manchester, New Hampshire, in Sept. 2019. Sanford is running against Donald Trump for the 2020 Republican presidential nomination.</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Mark Sanford, a former South Carolina congressman and governor, campaigns in Manchester, New Hampshire, in Sept. 2019. Sanford is running against Donald Trump for the 2020 Republican presidential nomination. | Elise Amendola | AP</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Amash, who voted for the House inquiry to proceed, is wrestling with that same question. “I think we’ve seen plenty of evidence that the president is abusing his power, abusing the office of the presidency,” he says. The independent congressman understands that his former GOP comrades disagree, or at least say they disagree, with him on that front. What he wonders is what, if anything, could change their minds; whether even a smoking cannon of misconduct linked directly to Trump could convince them of their responsibility to impeach.</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Just as we sit discussing this mystery inside Amash’s congressional office, the nearby television flickers to life with a CNN breaking news bulletin: “White House admits to quid pro quo with Ukraine.” A short while earlier, Mulvaney—one of Amash’s closest friends during their time together on Capitol Hill—had taken to the White House press podium to declare, among other things, that Ukraine’s military funding had indeed been held up at Trump’s behest and that people should “get over it.”</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Amash</b>&nbsp;shakes his head. “I mean, I’ve known Mick for a long time, but I don’t really know what his life is like at this point, and what he’s thinking, and how much just being in that world warps your view of things,” he says. “The administration’s approach with a lot of things is to put out really bad information and then pretend like it’s not bad. It’s sort of a different way of covering up. I<b>t’s gaslighting—just put out the bad stuff and then tell everyone it’s not bad, and that you’re shocked that anyone would think it’s bad</b>. ... Trump understands that. He’s figured out that he can say and do pretty much anything and people will cover for him.”</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“The administration’s approach with a lot of things is to put out really bad information and then pretend like it’s not bad. It’s sort of a different way of covering up.”</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">—REP. JUSTIN AMASH</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Both Sanford and Amash, once integral players inside the conservative House Freedom Caucus, say that if the roles were reversed—if Barack Obama were asking foreign nations to investigate Mitt and Tagg Romney—that Jim Jordan, the group’s founding chairman, would be leading the charge toward impeaching the Democratic president.</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“Oh, no doubt,” Sanford laughs.</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“100 percent,” Amash says.</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style=""><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style=""><b style=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">With Sanford and Amash exiled, and Trump’s alliance with the </span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">House Freedom Caucus</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> strong and symbiotic, it’s unclear whether even a single member of the organization—one founded on the order of principles over party—will consider a vote for impeachment.</span></b><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Jordan and Mark Meadows, his wingman and Trump’s soothsayer on the right, have so thoroughly transformed the identity of the group from feverishly independent to ferociously partisan that it’s difficult to imagine any of their lieutenants stepping outside of what’s become a Trump-topped chain of command.</span></font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><b>There is, however, one conservative who continues to be monitored closely: Chip Roy.</b></font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">A former federal prosecutor who made a name for himself in Washington as Ted Cruz’s original Senate chief of staff, Roy is a true believer who was sharply critical of Trump throughout 2016. When Roy decided to run for Congress in 2018, in fact, he was reminded to scrub his social media of attacks on the president. With so many of his Freedom Caucus colleagues springing to the president’s defense in recent months, Roy’s silence has been a subject of growing concern. Although the freshman congressman hasn’t indicated that he’s prepared to impeach Trump, he hasn’t soothed anxieties by ruling it out, either.</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Freshman Republican Rep. Chip Roy speaks at a press conference outside the Capitol.</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Freshman Republican Rep. Chip Roy speaks at a press conference outside the Capitol. | Tasos Katopodis | Getty Images</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In an interview, Roy tells me he has yet to see evidence supporting a case for Trump’s impeachment. That said, he is clearly uncomfortable with the reflexive attempts by his colleague to insulate Trump at every turn, often resulting in sloppy and self-contradicting arguments.</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“I have not associated myself with any of the defenses of my colleagues on this issue, because I’m going to make my own assessment and frame it however the facts present themselves,” he says. “I’ve got my own views on this, and I don’t necessarily believe the arguments I’ve heard to date have been the best arguments, because people are just firing on the fly without thinking it through.”</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Roy acknowledges his reluctance to speak on the matter. He explains that he has been marking up hundreds of pages of documents and building a prosecutor’s case file from which to draw his ultimate conclusions. Unlike some of his colleagues, Roy says, he sees “a line” that needs to be enforced as a matter of precedent. It’s just that Trump, from everything he’s gathered thus far, has not crossed it.</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The president’s allies have long believed his greatest threat from within the Republican Party comes from the middle; that given the cultish devotion he enjoys on the right, a moderate with lukewarm constituents could get away with defying him before a conservative with MAGA-clad constituents could. This thinking had led Trump and his team to keep a close eye on certain individuals, such as Adam Kinzinger and John Shimkus and Fred Upton, who fit the description of the centrist, traditional, Bush-friendly Republican who have been known to voice their displeasure with the president. And indeed, both Kinzinger and Shimkus leaped off the radar in recent weeks due to their broadsides against Trump. But their invective had more to do with abandoning the Kurds than pressuring the Ukrainians...</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div><div><div class="mag-header" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px 0px 19px; padding: 0px; position: relative; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><h3 class="magcat-titlte entry-title" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; letter-spacing: 1px;"><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2019/09/recent-republican-pushed-federal-shutdowns-gained-nothing-but-cost-taxpayers-at-least-4-billion/" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer; display: block; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 1.4;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">Recent Republican-pushed federal shutdowns gained nothing — but cost taxpayers at least $4 billion</font></a></h3><div class="grid-post-box-meta mag-meta" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 7px 0px 0px; padding: 0px;"><span class="author-italic author vcard" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://www.alternet.org/author/daily-kos/" title="Posts by Daily Kos" class="author url fn" rel="author" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Daily Kos</font></a></span></div></div><div class="mag-excerpt entry-content" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">A new Senate report pegs the cost of the last three government shutdowns, from the bizarre 2013 Republican shutdown demanding the end of “Obamacare” to the two 2018-2019 Trump-led shutdowns.</font></p></div></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">THIS NEEDS SOME ANALYSIS</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">triggered by pharma lies, Mick m poster boy for ?</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div><div><p class="yiv2352065801headline3" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" serif="serif" font-size="font-size" px="px" margin="margin" padding="padding"><a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click1.e.alternet.org/blzbqszvztdydqmmyjfzzyzmmjymvgcnbtzdfpsjzpq_xgrvdcsctdrrsppjjcc.html?a=&b=223&c=21989&d=2" style=""><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">House Freedom Caucus votes to condemn one of its founding members over Trump impeachment comments</font></a></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: Georgia, " times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" serif="serif" font-size="font-size" px="px" font-style="font-style" italic="italic" color="color" rgb="rgb" margin="margin" padding="padding"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">&nbsp;</font></p></div><div><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">=</font></p><p><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2019/04/siding-with-big-pharma-republicans-warn-ceos-not-to-cooperate-with-democrats-drug-price-probe"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">https://www.alternet.org/2019/04/siding-with-big-pharma-republicans-warn-ceos-not-to-cooperate-with-democrats-drug-price-probe</font></a></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>As&nbsp;<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Democrats on the House Oversight Committee attempt to investigate soaring drug prices in the U.S.,</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;</span><a href="https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/paulmcleod/republicans-warn-drug-companies-oversight-investigation" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">Republicans are warning the CEOs</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">of some of America’s largest pharmaceutical companies against cooperating with the probe.</span></b></font></p><div class="p1_11" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px 0px 17px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Reps. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and Mark Meadows (R-N.C.), leaders of the far-right House Freedom Caucus, sent&nbsp;<a href="https://republicans-oversight.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Pharma-Letters.pdf" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">letters</a>&nbsp;(pdf) to a dozen drug company CEOs “warning that information they provide to the committee could be leaked to the public by Democratic chair Elijah Cummings in an effort to tank their stock prices,”&nbsp;<em style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Buzzfeed</em>&nbsp;reported Monday.</font></p><div class="p2_11" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><div class="alt_ad_block" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><div class="teadsNative" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px 0px 17px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Cummings, a Democrat from Maryland,&nbsp;<a href="https://oversight.house.gov/news/press-releases/oversight-committee-launches-sweeping-drug-price-investigation" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">launched his investigation in January</a>&nbsp;with a request for “information and communications on price increases, investments in research and development, and corporate strategies to preserve market share and pricing power” from pharmaceutical giants such as Pfizer, Novartis, Johnson & Johnson, and others.</font></p><div class="p3_11" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px 0px 17px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">In their letters to the same pharmaceutical companies, Jordan and Meadows suggested that Cummings is attempting to obtain information that “would likely harm the competitiveness of your company if disclosed publicly.”</font></p><div class="p4_11" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px 0px 17px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">“While we cannot speculate about Chairman Cummings’s motives, we believe the committee should not pursue an investigation to ‘impact… stock prices with regard to drugs’—especially when there is bipartisan interest in real oversight of rising prescription drug prices,” the Republicans wrote in their letters, dated April 5.</font></p><div class="p5_11" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px 0px 17px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>As&nbsp;<em style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Buzzfeed</em>&nbsp;notes, Jordan and Meadows’ claims rest on an out-of-context quote from Cummings:</b></font></p><div class="p6_11" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><div class="alt_ad_block" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><blockquote style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 10px 20px 10px 24px; position: relative; line-height: 1.7; overflow: hidden; background: rgb(245, 245, 245); border: none !important;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.7;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The [Republicans’] letter quotes Cummings as saying of his drug team: “If you follow the headlines, we have already seen the impact they have had… on stock prices with regard to drugs. I mean, it has been astronomical.” The letter omits the rest of the sentence: “saving the taxpayers money.”</font></p><div class="p7_11" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.7;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In the edited quote, Cummings seems to be bragging about an “astronomical” impact on drug company stocks. In the context of his statements before and after, he seems to be saying the “astronomical” impact is on taxpayer savings, which justify giving his committee more resources. A minute later he says: “Whatever you all give us, we will give it back in savings by rooting out fraud, waste, and abuse.”</font></p><div class="p8_11" style="font-style: italic; box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /></div></blockquote><p style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px 0px 17px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">In a statement to&nbsp;</span><em style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Buzzfeed</em><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">,&nbsp;</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Cummings said Jordan—the ranking member of the House Oversight Committee—”is on the absolute wrong side here.”</span></font></p><div class="p9_11" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px 0px 17px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">“He would rather protect drug company ‘stock prices’ than the interests of the American people,” Cummings added.</font></p><div class="p10_11" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px 0px 17px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Economist and University of California, Berkeley professor Robert Reich expressed agreement with Cummings,&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/RBReich/status/1115391706688417794" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">tweeting</a>&nbsp;of the two Republicans, “Once again, they’re siding with Big Pharma at the expense of the American people.”</font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">=</font></p></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">mick takes the white house</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><p style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px 0px 17px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">if there’s one thing that really sums up just how profoundly messed up the Trump White House is, top to bottom, it’s this: the one person capable of making Trump and Co. happy in the role of chief of staff is former Freedom Caucus maniac Mick Mulvaney. The once—and current—Office of Management and Budget Director, who also moonlighted as the head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau for over a year, has been filling in as top deputy for Trump since John Kelly left last year, reportedly&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2018/12/07/politics/john-kelly-chief-of-staff-donald-trump/index.html" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">no longer even trying to talk with Trump</a>. But Mulvaney is doing so great at the job, they’re&nbsp;<a href="https://www.politico.com/story/2019/03/19/white-house-mulvaney-acting-chief-staff-1226055" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">making it permanent</a>.</font></p><div class="p1_4" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px 0px 17px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">That’s right, the Freedom Caucus lives on, and this time it’s taking over the White House. Apparently, Mulvaney is working out so well because he just lets Trump do whatever the hell he wants, and is also nice to first daughter Ivanka and her husband Jared Kushner, the guy running around on the world stage with a security clearance he should not have. Mulvaney lets them do whatever they want, as well, so they don’t go running to Daddy complaining about the nanny being mean. This all is absolutely real, sources tell Politico. He’s succeeding because he lets them be awful. “He has stayed out of a lot of people’s way,” a senior administration official told reporter Nancy Cook. “No one is saying he is killing it but staying out of people’s way has helped.”</font></p><div class="p2_4" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><div class="teadsNative" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px 0px 17px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Here’s something to help you sleep at night: “Mulvaney has also quietly installed roughly eight loyal aides within the West Wing.” It’s a Freedom Caucus coup, brought about by the fact that literally no one else Trump tried to talk into taking the chief job was willing to do it. He got bored with the hunt for Kelly’s replacement after multiple, public rejections by people like Rep. Mark Meadows, the North Carolina maniac, Nick Ayers, and Chris Christie, so it looks like Mulvaney is ending up on top. Trump has apparently not made it official yet, and could change his mind, but he’s done nothing else in the interest of the country so it doesn’t seem likely he’ll want to chance getting someone else who might try to rein in his impulses again.</font></p><div class="p3_4" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px 0px 17px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Back to that coup—he’s installed his people in the “chief of staff’s office, communications shop and Domestic Policy Council, which crafts policy on issues like health care, drug prices, welfare, education and transportation.” That’s comforting, huh? While Trump’s out there being as Trumpy as he wants to be, Mulvaney and team will be behind the scenes trying to dismantle our society. Good times.</font></p></div><div style=""><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="https://www.alternet.org/trumps-gop-house-henchmen-lay-groundwork-hold-top-doj-official-overseeing-russia-probe-contempt">https://www.alternet.org/trumps-gop-house-henchmen-lay-groundwork-hold-top-doj-official-overseeing-russia-probe-contempt</a></font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 32px !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Ryan caved to Donald Trump's Russia hatchet&nbsp;squad and now the GOP caucus is closer than ever to delivering Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein an ultimatum: hand over every sensitive document they want on the Russia probe or be held in contempt and possibly impeached. Bloomberg&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-06-27/rosenstein-under-pressure-as-house-gop-readies-vote-on-demands" target="blank" title="" style="text-decoration-line: none;">writes</a>:</font></p><blockquote style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><p style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; line-height: 32px !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Passing the resolution would escalate pressure on Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein to hand over material, including some related to the origins of the investigation into whether Donald Trump’s presidential campaign colluded with Russian meddling in the 2016 election. The measure would give Rosenstein and other officials until July 6 to comply.</font></p></blockquote><p style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 32px !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The&nbsp;<a href="https://%20https//docs.house.gov/billsthisweek/20180625/BILLS-115hresih.pdf" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none;">resolution itself&nbsp;</a>doesn't explicitly reference impeachment or even contempt and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.politico.com/story/2018/06/27/mueller-investigation-house-resolution-678810" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none;">it's effectively unenforceable</a>, but the House henchmen have been hanging that threat over Rosenstein's head for months. GOP Reps. Mark Meadows and Jim Jordan, so-called Freedom Caucus staples, now say the resolution is&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/kyledcheney/status/1011982184880762881" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none;">coming to the House floor</a>&nbsp;on Thursday, contingent on the Rules Committee giving it final approval Wednesday afternoon.</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 32px !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">&nbsp;full House vote would supercharge a battle that has primarily been waged by a handful of GOP zealots into potentially having the imprimatur of the entire Republican caucus.&nbsp;The showdown comes as both Rosenstein and FBI director Christopher Wray prepare to testify before the House Judiciary Committee Thursday morning about the agency's Inspector General report on the Clinton email investigation.</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 32px !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Rosenstein does not appear to be without some recourse. He has already threatened to request that the House&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2018/6/12/1771509/-Rosenstein-to-call-for-investigation-into-Nunes-staff-after-being-threatened-with-contempt" target="blank" title="" style="text-decoration-line: none;">conduct an internal investigation</a>&nbsp;of the House Intelligence Committee staff. Though it's unclear where that stands, doing so would give him the ability to subpoena the internal communications of the staff.</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 32px !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">...</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></p></div><div style=""><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div style=""><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">9/17</font></div><div style=""><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style=""><p style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 32px !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">ust to make the whole situation really crazy, our old friend Steve Bannon has apparently taken on the role of chief strategist for the extremist faction of the GOP.&nbsp;<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=https://www.axios.com/inside-steve-bannons-meeting-with-mark-meadows-2481771691.html&source=gmail&ust=1504784365373000&usg=AFQjCNGxMhL8iWbSSk-Kj7fLS96gsxYHLw" href="https://www.axios.com/inside-steve-bannons-meeting-with-mark-meadows-2481771691.html" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none;">Jonathan Swan at Axios reported</a>&nbsp;that&nbsp;<b>Bannon recently met with Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., the head of the House Freedom Caucus, which has about 40 hardcore right-wing members ready to rumble.&nbsp;</b>Swan writes that they plan to fight the leadership’s decision to attach hurricane relief to the debt ceiling increase. The only good news is that unctuous Sen. Ted Cruz won’t be leading the opposition to relief funds this time around, since his constituents in Texas are the ones who need it. Swan quotes a source saying this:</font></p><blockquote style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><p style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; line-height: 32px !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">This is bigger than Breitbart or the Freedom Caucus . . . The topics discussed included conservative alternatives to everything the anti-Trump Republican leadership has planned on every major policy matter facing the United States of America in September. Including Paul Ryan’s and Mitch McConnell’s demonstrated failure to govern, and how to effectively implement the Trump agenda moving forward.</font></p></blockquote><p style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 32px !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/bannon-factor-trump-s-tax-plan-just-got-more-complicated-n798626&source=gmail&ust=1504784365373000&usg=AFQjCNG6ASx_zaYvjR_huSNsF9lmb-jD-g" href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/bannon-factor-trump-s-tax-plan-just-got-more-complicated-n798626" target="_blank" style="text-decoration-line: none;">A source told</a>&nbsp;Hallie Jackson and Kristen Welker of MSNBC that “they focused on the idea that the GOP should brace for a ‘bloody September,’ as the president’s far-right base prepares to dig in on key issues from DACA to the debt ceiling.” This may well include Bannon’s desire to settle scores with his enemies, like White House economic adviser Gary Cohn, but it’s also likely to result in some twisted legislative scenarios in which Republicans will be battling each&nbsp;other&nbsp;simply to keep the country from defaulting on its debts or the government from shutting down.</font></p></div><div style=""><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div style=""><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">killed trump ryan aca repeal b/c not draconian enough</font></div><div style=""><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">===</font></div><div style=""><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">domhoff london papr;</font></div><div style=""><p style="text-indent: 0.5in; margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 200%"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">After

examining the Freedom Caucus and the sources of funding for its

representatives more closely, our findings suggested that this group

truly does play a significant role in promoting anti-environmental

policies. This clearly supports Domhoff’s assertion that the

corporate class turns economic power into political power to

influence public policy in a way that allows them to be more

profitable. With so much of their funding stemming from polluting,

anti-environmental sectors, it is easy to see where the loyalties of

the Freedom Caucus representatives lie. To make matters worse, many

of these representatives serve on committees that have the ability to

greatly influence environmental policy. This tendency of Freedom

Caucus representatives to support anti-environmental regulation is

further demonstrated through the overwhelmingly low percentages of

LVC votes by each member. Despite the relatively small size of this

group, it is clear that with the help of conservative funding, their

influence on policy is disproportionate. It is essential for us to

understand groups like the Freedom Caucus and the ways in which

corporate influence can shape public policy. This understanding will

enable us to better protect civil society and the world that we live

in. &nbsp;</font></p></div><div style=""><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">---</font></div><div style=""><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">wapo 1/17</font></div><div style=""><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style=""><div style=""><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">This year’s agenda from House and Senate Republicans has clarity that was often lacking from Trump’s own campaign. Senate Republicans favor using a procedure known as “budget reconciliation,” in which measures can be passed with a simple 51-vote majority rather than a filibuster-proof 60 votes, to tackle the ACA and to undo much of the 2010 Dodd-Frank financial reform.</font></div><div style=""><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style=""><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">As part of undoing the financial overhaul law, some GOP leaders have begun planning strategies for how to effectively kill the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, whether by giving Congress control over its budget or finding cause to replace its director, Richard Cordray, with a weaker board.</font></div><div style=""><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style=""><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style=""><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“I’d like to repeal the whole thing, period,” Senate Banking Committee Chairman Richard C. Shelby said of Dodd-Frank in a December interview with the Wall Street Journal.</font></div><div style=""><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style=""><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The reconciliation process is also likely to be used to pass tax changes, which both Trump and congressional Republicans want to use to lower rates and end the estate tax.</font></div><div style=""><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style=""><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Republicans also are examining ways to undo many of the regulations and other orders enacted by Obama and his administration, including ones issued in the weeks since Trump’s victory and designed to solidify the Democratic president’s environmental legacy.</font></div><div style=""><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style=""><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">GOP leaders have cited the 21-year old Congressional Review Act, which allows Congress to cast simple majority votes of disapproval for regulations, as a way to block anything the administration has ordered since June 2016.</font></div><div style=""><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style=""><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Since its passage, the CRA has been used only once. But in December, the conservative House Freedom Caucus began compiling a list of more than 200 regulations it views as vulnerable to a disapproval vote. They include “burdensome” school lunch standards, tobacco regulations, laws that set higher wages for contractors and elements of the Paris climate-change agreement.</font></div><div style=""><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style=""><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“Talking to some individuals with the Trump transition team, they are taking this extremely serious[ly],” Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.), chairman of the Freedom Caucus, told the Heritage Foundation last month.</font></div><div style=""><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style=""><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Republicans intend to supplement the CRA by enacting a law that would subject any regulation with an economic impact greater than $100 million to a vote of Congress, a change that would have prevented nearly every climate or employment rule change of the Obama years. The measure, called the Regulations From the Executive in Need of Scrutiny Act, or Reins, is a conservative priority that passed the Republican House in 2011, 2013 and 2015 with backing from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Republican aides now hope for a vote on Reins in the coming days so it can be sent for Trump’s signature immediately after he is sworn in on Jan. 20.</font></div><div style=""><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style=""><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style=""><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Some Republican lawmakers also want legislation that would stop courts from deferring to federal agencies’ interpretations of statutes — a practice known as “Chevron deference,” after the 1984 Supreme Court case that went against the energy company — and have them instead defer to Congress.</font></div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="">
</font><p style=""><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">=</font></p><p style=""><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">The conservative House Freedom Caucus is considering hiring a former Tom DeLay aide who was a figure in a 2005 Washington lobbying corruption scandal, Politico reports.&nbsp;</font></p><p style=""><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Ed Buckham, DeLay's former chief of staff, interviewed to be the group's&nbsp;<b>executive director</b>&nbsp;— and is a front-runner for the spot, Politico reports, citing unnamed sources.</font></p><p style=""><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">A spokesman for the&nbsp;<b>chairman of the Freedom Caucus, Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan</b>, said interviews were underway for the position but declined to provide specifics.&nbsp;</font></p><p style=""><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">The group's former executive director Steve Chartan left to work as legislative director to Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, Politico reports.</font></p><p style=""><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">"We're very close,"<b>&nbsp;DeLay tells Politico&nbsp;</b>about his relationship with Buckham. "To be honest with you, it would be the smartest thing the Freedom Caucus could do. He's saved my career many times."</font></p><p style=""><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Buckham's son Matt is the communications director for the Freedom Caucus, Politico reports.</font></p><p style=""><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Buckham's former lobbying firm, Alexander Strategies Group, represented powerful corporations and trade associations that wanted access to DeLay and other top House Republicans, Politico reports.&nbsp;</font></p><p style=""><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">The firm folded in the wake of a Justice Department investigation of Jack Abramoff, a confidant of DeLay and Buckram who spent more than three-and-a-half years in federal prison after pleading guilty to a variety of federal charges, including fraud, conspiracy to bribe public officials and tax evasion.</font></p><p style=""><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Abramoff said he and Buckham "were very close," but that he hadn't spoken to him in years, Politico reports.</font></p><font size="4" style="" face="Times New Roman">
</font><p style=""><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">The <b>Freedom Caucus</b>, also known as the <b>House Freedom Caucus</b>, is a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congressional_caucus" title="Congressional caucus">congressional caucus</a> consisting of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conservatism_in_the_United_States" title="Conservatism in the United States">conservative</a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republican_Party_%28United_States%29" title="Republican Party (United States)">Republican</a> members of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_House_of_Representatives" title="United States House of Representatives">United States House of Representatives</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-6" class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-6"><span>[</span>6<span>]</span></a></sup> It was formed by a group of Congressmen as a "smaller, more cohesive, more agile and more active" group of conservatives.<sup id="cite_ref-official_7-0" class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-official-7"><span>[</span>7<span>]</span></a></sup></font>

<font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Many members are also part of the conservative House group the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republican_Study_Committee" title="Republican Study Committee">Republican Study Committee</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-official_7-1" class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-official-7"><span>[</span>7<span>]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-8" class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-8"><span>[</span>8<span>]</span></a></sup> The caucus is sympathetic to the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tea_Party_movement" title="Tea Party movement">Tea Party movement</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-9" class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-9"><span>[</span>9<span>]</span></a></sup>

According to its mission statement, “The House Freedom Caucus gives a

voice to countless Americans who feel that Washington does not represent

them. We support open, accountable and limited government, the

Constitution and the rule of law, and policies that promote the liberty,

safety and prosperity of all Americans.”<sup id="cite_ref-10" class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-10"><span>[</span>10<span>]</span></a></sup></font></p>

<div id="toc" class="toc" style="">

<div id="toctitle">

<h2><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Contents</font></h2>

</div></div><div id="toc" class="toc" style="">

<ul><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-1"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#History"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><span class="tocnumber">1</span> <span class="toctext">History</span></font></a></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-2"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#Membership"><span class="tocnumber">2</span> <span class="toctext">Membership</span></a>

</font><ul><li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-3"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#Former_members"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><span class="tocnumber">2.1</span> <span class="toctext">Former members</span></font></a></li></ul>

</li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#See_also"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><span class="tocnumber">3</span> <span class="toctext">See also</span></font></a></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-5"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#References"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><span class="tocnumber">4</span> <span class="toctext">References</span></font></a></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-6"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#Further_reading"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><span class="tocnumber">5</span> <span class="toctext">Further reading</span></font></a></li></ul>

</div>

<h2 style=""><span class="mw-headline" id="History"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">History</font></span></h2>

<p style=""><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">The origins of the Caucus lie at the mid-January Republican congression retreat in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hershey,_Pennsylvania" title="Hershey, Pennsylvania">Hershey, Pennsylvania</a>. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ra%C3%BAl_Labrador" title="Raúl Labrador">Raúl Labrador</a>

and eight other representatives met separately from the main group to

plan their own agenda. The group debated over a name for their new

caucus, eventually settling on the "Freedom Caucus" because, according

to founding member <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mick_Mulvaney" title="Mick Mulvaney">Mick Mulvaney</a>,

"it was so generic and universally awful that we had no reason to be

against it." The group started with nine initial members in Hershey, who

set as a criteria for new members that they had to be willing to vote

against <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speaker_of_the_United_States_House_of_Representatives" title="Speaker of the United States House of Representatives">Speaker of the United States House of Representatives</a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Boehner" title="John Boehner">John Boehner</a> on legislation that the group opposed.<sup id="cite_ref-housedivided_11-0" class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-housedivided-11"><span>[</span>11<span>]</span></a></sup></font>

<font face="Times New Roman" size="4">During the crisis over the funding of the Department of Homeland

Security in early 2015, the Caucus offered four plans for resolution,

but all were rejected by the Republican leadership. <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Politico" title="Politico">Politico</a></i>

reported that one of the caucus leaders, Labrador of Idaho, said the

Caucus will offer an alternative that the most conservative Republican

members could support.<sup id="cite_ref-12" class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-12"><span>[</span>12<span>]</span></a></sup><sup class="noprint Inline-Template" style="margin-left:0.1em; white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Dates_and_numbers#Precise_language" title="Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Dates and numbers"><span title="The text near this tag is dated.">dated info</span></a></i>]</sup></font>

<font face="Times New Roman" size="4">The Caucus was involved in the resignation of Boehner on September 25, 2015, and the ensuing <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speaker_of_the_United_States_House_of_Representatives_election,_October_2015" title="Speaker of the United States House of Representatives election, October 2015">leadership battle</a> for the new Speaker.<sup id="cite_ref-13" class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-13"><span>[</span>13<span>]</span></a></sup>

Members of the Caucus who had voted against Boehner for Speaker felt

unfairly punished, accusing him of cutting them off from positions in

the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republican_Study_Committee" title="Republican Study Committee">Republican Study Committee</a>

and depriving them of key committee assignments. Boehner found it

increasingly difficult to manage House Republicans with the fierce

opposition of the Freedom Caucus, and he sparred with them over their

willingness to shut down the government in order to accomplish goals

such as repealing the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Affordable_Care_Act" title="Affordable Care Act" class="mw-redirect">Affordable Care Act</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-housedivided_11-1" class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-housedivided-11"><span>[</span>11<span>]</span></a></sup></font>

<font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Initially, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevin_McCarthy_%28California_politician%29" title="Kevin McCarthy (California politician)">Kevin McCarthy</a>, the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_Majority_Leader" title="House Majority Leader" class="mw-redirect">House Majority Leader</a>, was the lead contender, but the Freedom Caucus withheld its support.<sup id="cite_ref-14" class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-14"><span>[</span>14<span>]</span></a></sup> However, McCarthy withdrew from the race on September 28, 2015.<sup id="cite_ref-15" class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-15"><span>[</span>15<span>]</span></a></sup> On the same day as McCarthy's withdrawal, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reid_Ribble" title="Reid Ribble">Reid Ribble</a>

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.<sup id="cite_ref-ribble_16-0" class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-ribble-16"><span>[</span>16<span>]</span></a></sup></font>

<font face="Times New Roman" size="4">On October 20, 2015, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Ryan" title="Paul Ryan">Paul Ryan</a> announced that his bid for the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speaker_of_the_United_States_House_of_Representatives" title="Speaker of the United States House of Representatives">Speaker of the United States House of Representatives</a> was contingent on an official endorsement by the Freedom Caucus.<sup id="cite_ref-17" class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-17"><span>[</span>17<span>]</span></a></sup>

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 <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supermajority" title="Supermajority">supermajority</a> support for Ryan.<sup id="cite_ref-18" class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-18"><span>[</span>18<span>]</span></a></sup> On October 29, 2015, Ryan succeeded John Boehner as the Speaker of the House.</font>

<font face="Times New Roman" size="4">On November 17, 2015, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Jordan%28U.S.politician%29" title="Jim Jordan (U.S. politician)">Jim Jordan</a> was re-elected as Chairman of the caucus.<sup id="cite_ref-19" class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-19"><span>[</span>19<span>]</span></a></sup></font></p>

<h2 style=""><span class="mw-headline" id="Membership"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Membership</font></span></h2>

<div class="thumb tright" style="">

<div class="thumbinner" style="width:302px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Freedom_Caucus_membership_114_congress.svg" class="image"><img alt="" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/95/Freedom_Caucus_membership_114_congress.svg/300px-Freedom_Caucus_membership_114_congress.svg.png" class="thumbimage" data-file-width="1242" data-file-height="721" height="174" width="300" /></a>

</font><div class="thumbcaption">

</div></div></div><div class="thumb tright" style=""><div class="thumbinner" style="width:302px;"><div class="thumbcaption"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">

Congressional District map for Freedom Caucus membership of the 114th Congress. Former members in light color.</font></div>

</div>

</div>

<p style=""><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Members of the House Freedom Caucus as of October 2015 include:</font></p>

<div class="div-col columns column-width" style="column-width: 18em;">

<ul><li><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Jordan%28U.S.politician%29" title="Jim Jordan (U.S. politician)">Jim Jordan</a> of Ohio, <i>Chair</i><sup id="cite_ref-Nine_20-0" class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-Nine-20"><span>[</span>20<span>]</span></a></sup></font></li><li><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justin_Amash" title="Justin Amash">Justin Amash</a> of Michigan<sup id="cite_ref-Nine_20-1" class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-Nine-20"><span>[</span>20<span>]</span></a></sup></font></li><li><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Babin" title="Brian Babin">Brian Babin</a> of Texas<sup id="cite_ref-blogs.rollcall.com_21-0" class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-blogs.rollcall.com-21"><span>[</span>21<span>]</span></a></sup></font></li><li><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rod_Blum" title="Rod Blum">Rod Blum</a> of Iowa<sup id="cite_ref-blogs.rollcall.com_21-1" class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-blogs.rollcall.com-21"><span>[</span>21<span>]</span></a></sup></font></li><li><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dave_Brat" title="Dave Brat">Dave Brat</a> of Virginia<sup id="cite_ref-22" class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-22"><span>[</span>22<span>]</span></a></sup></font></li><li><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Bridenstine" title="Jim Bridenstine">Jim Bridenstine</a> of Oklahoma<sup id="cite_ref-Vies_23-0" class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-Vies-23"><span>[</span>23<span>]</span></a></sup></font></li><li><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mo_Brooks" title="Mo Brooks">Mo Brooks</a> of Alabama<sup id="cite_ref-24" class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-24"><span>[</span>24<span>]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-25" class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-25"><span>[</span>25<span>]</span></a></sup></font></li><li><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ken_Buck" title="Ken Buck">Ken Buck</a> of Colorado<sup id="cite_ref-Dozen_26-0" class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-Dozen-26"><span>[</span>26<span>]</span></a></sup></font></li><li><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curt_Clawson" title="Curt Clawson">Curt Clawson</a> of Florida<sup id="cite_ref-27" class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-27"><span>[</span>27<span>]</span></a></sup></font></li><li><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_DeSantis" title="Ron DeSantis">Ron DeSantis</a> of Florida<sup id="cite_ref-Nine_20-2" class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-Nine-20"><span>[</span>20<span>]</span></a></sup></font></li><li><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Desjarlais" title="Scott Desjarlais" class="mw-redirect">Scott Desjarlais</a> of Tennessee<sup id="cite_ref-28" class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-28"><span>[</span>28<span>]</span></a></sup></font></li><li><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeff_Duncan%28politician%29" title="Jeff Duncan (politician)">Jeff Duncan</a> of South Carolina<sup id="cite_ref-29" class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-29"><span>[</span>29<span>]</span></a></sup></font></li><li><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Fleming%28U.S.politician%29" title="John Fleming (U.S. politician)">John Fleming</a> of Louisiana<sup id="cite_ref-Nine_20-3" class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-Nine-20"><span>[</span>20<span>]</span></a></sup></font></li><li><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trent_Franks" title="Trent Franks">Trent Franks</a> of Arizona<sup id="cite_ref-Dozen_26-1" class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-Dozen-26"><span>[</span>26<span>]</span></a></sup></font></li><li><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Garrett" title="Scott Garrett">Scott Garrett</a> of New Jersey<sup id="cite_ref-Nine_20-4" class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-Nine-20"><span>[</span>20<span>]</span></a></sup></font></li><li><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louie_Gohmert" title="Louie Gohmert">Louie Gohmert</a> of Texas<sup id="cite_ref-30" class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-30"><span>[</span>30<span>]</span></a></sup></font></li><li><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Gosar" title="Paul Gosar">Paul Gosar</a> of Arizona<sup id="cite_ref-31" class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-31"><span>[</span>31<span>]</span></a></sup></font></li><li><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morgan_Griffith" title="Morgan Griffith">Morgan Griffith</a> of Virginia<sup id="cite_ref-Versus_3-1" class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-Versus-3"><span>[</span>3<span>]</span></a></sup></font></li><li><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andy_Harris%28politician%29" title="Andy Harris (politician)">Andy Harris</a> of Maryland<sup id="cite_ref-blogs.rollcall.com_21-2" class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-blogs.rollcall.com-21"><span>[</span>21<span>]</span></a></sup></font></li><li><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jody_Hice" title="Jody Hice">Jody Hice</a> of Georgia<sup id="cite_ref-Can_the_house_32-0" class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-Can_the_house-32"><span>[</span>32<span>]</span></a></sup></font></li><li><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Huelskamp" title="Tim Huelskamp">Tim Huelskamp</a> of Kansas<sup id="cite_ref-33" class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-33"><span>[</span>33<span>]</span></a></sup></font></li><li><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_B.Jones,Jr." title="Walter B. Jones, Jr.">Walter B. Jones, Jr.</a> of North Carolina<sup id="cite_ref-34" class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-34"><span>[</span>34<span>]</span></a></sup></font></li><li><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_King" title="Steve King">Steve King</a> of Iowa<sup id="cite_ref-35" class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-35"><span>[</span>35<span>]</span></a></sup></font></li><li><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ra%C3%BAl_Labrador" title="Raúl Labrador">Raúl Labrador</a> of Idaho<sup id="cite_ref-Nine_20-5" class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-Nine-20"><span>[</span>20<span>]</span></a></sup></font></li><li><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barry_Loudermilk" title="Barry Loudermilk">Barry Loudermilk</a> of Georgia<sup id="cite_ref-Can_the_house_32-1" class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-Can_the_house-32"><span>[</span>32<span>]</span></a></sup></font></li><li><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cynthia_Lummis" title="Cynthia Lummis">Cynthia Lummis</a> of Wyoming<sup id="cite_ref-Dozen_26-2" class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-Dozen-26"><span>[</span>26<span>]</span></a></sup></font></li><li><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Meadows%28North_Carolina_politician%29" title="Mark Meadows (North Carolina politician)">Mark Meadows</a> of North Carolina<sup id="cite_ref-Nine_20-6" class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-Nine-20"><span>[</span>20<span>]</span></a></sup></font></li><li><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alex_Mooney" title="Alex Mooney">Alex Mooney</a> of West Virginia<sup id="cite_ref-blogs.rollcall.com_21-3" class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-blogs.rollcall.com-21"><span>[</span>21<span>]</span></a></sup></font></li><li><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mick_Mulvaney" title="Mick Mulvaney">Mick Mulvaney</a> of South Carolina<sup id="cite_ref-Nine_20-7" class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-Nine-20"><span>[</span>20<span>]</span></a></sup></font></li><li><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Palmer%28politician%29" title="Gary Palmer (politician)">Gary Palmer</a> of Alabama<sup id="cite_ref-Vies_23-1" class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-Vies-23"><span>[</span>23<span>]</span></a></sup></font></li><li><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Pearce%28politician%29" title="Steve Pearce (politician)">Steve Pearce</a> of New Mexico<sup id="cite_ref-Dozen_26-3" class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-Dozen-26"><span>[</span>26<span>]</span></a></sup></font></li><li><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Perry%28politician%29" title="Scott Perry (politician)">Scott Perry</a> of Pennsylvania<sup id="cite_ref-blogs.rollcall.com_21-4" class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-blogs.rollcall.com-21"><span>[</span>21<span>]</span></a></sup></font></li><li><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_Poe" title="Ted Poe">Ted Poe</a> of Texas<sup id="cite_ref-blogs.rollcall.com_21-5" class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-blogs.rollcall.com-21"><span>[</span>21<span>]</span></a></sup></font></li><li><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Posey" title="Bill Posey">Bill Posey</a> of Florida<sup id="cite_ref-blogs.rollcall.com_21-6" class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-blogs.rollcall.com-21"><span>[</span>21<span>]</span></a></sup></font></li><li><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keith_Rothfus" title="Keith Rothfus">Keith Rothfus</a> of Pennsylvania<sup id="cite_ref-blogs.rollcall.com_21-7" class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-blogs.rollcall.com-21"><span>[</span>21<span>]</span></a></sup></font></li><li><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matt_Salmon" title="Matt Salmon">Matt Salmon</a> of Arizona<sup id="cite_ref-Nine_20-8" class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-Nine-20"><span>[</span>20<span>]</span></a></sup></font></li><li><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Sanford" title="Mark Sanford">Mark Sanford</a> of South Carolina<sup id="cite_ref-blogs.rollcall.com_21-8" class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-blogs.rollcall.com-21"><span>[</span>21<span>]</span></a></sup></font></li><li><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Schweikert" title="David Schweikert">David Schweikert</a> of Arizona<sup id="cite_ref-Dozen_26-4" class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-Dozen-26"><span>[</span>26<span>]</span></a></sup></font></li><li><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marlin_Stutzman" title="Marlin Stutzman">Marlin Stutzman</a> of Indiana<sup id="cite_ref-blogs.rollcall.com_21-9" class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-blogs.rollcall.com-21"><span>[</span>21<span>]</span></a></sup></font></li><li><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Randy_Weber" title="Randy Weber">Randy Weber</a> of Texas<sup id="cite_ref-pewwho_36-0" class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-pewwho-36"><span>[</span>36<span>]</span></a></sup></font></li><li><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_Yoho" title="Ted Yoho">Ted Yoho</a> of Florida<sup id="cite_ref-pewwho_36-1" class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-pewwho-36"><span>[</span>36<span>]</span></a></sup></font></li></ul>

</div>

<h3 style=""><span class="mw-headline" id="Former_members"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Former members</font></span></h3>

<ul style=""><li><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_McClintock" title="Tom McClintock">Tom McClintock</a> of California<sup id="cite_ref-Vies_23-2" class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-Vies-23"><span>[</span>23<span>]</span></a></sup> – Resigned from the caucus on September 16, 2015</font></li><li><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reid_Ribble" title="Reid Ribble">Reid Ribble</a> of Wisconsin<sup id="cite_ref-ribble_16-1" class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#cite_note-ribble-16"><span>[</span>16<span>]</span></a></sup> – Resigned from the caucus on October 9, 2015</font></li></ul>

<h2 style=""><span class="mw-headline" id="See_also"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">See also</font></span></h2>

<ul style=""><li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberty_Caucus" title="Liberty Caucus"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">Liberty Caucus</font></a></li><li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tea_Party_Caucus" title="Tea Party Caucus"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">Tea Party Caucus</font></a></li><li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tea_Party_movement" title="Tea Party movement"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">Tea Party movement</font></a></li><li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republican_Study_Committee" title="Republican Study Committee"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">Republican Study Committee</font></a></li><li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Tuesday_Group_%28United_States%29" title="The Tuesday Group (United States)"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">The Tuesday Group</font></a></li><li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congressional_Progressive_Caucus" title="Congressional Progressive Caucus"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">Congressional Progressive Caucus</font></a></li></ul>

<h2 style=""><span class="mw-headline" id="References"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">References</font></span></h2>

<div class="reflist columns references-column-width" style="column-width: 30em; list-style-type: decimal;">

<ol class="references"><li id="cite_note-1"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></li></ol></div><div id="bodyContent" class="mw-body-content" style=""><li id="cite_note-1"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external free" href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/house-freedom-caucus-paul-ryan_56281b41e4b0bce34703ee96">http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/house-freedom-caucus-paul-ryan_56281b41e4b0bce34703ee96</a></span></font></li>

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</font></li><li id="cite_note-2"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"> <span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation web">Sherman, Jake; French, Lauren (March 6, 2015). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.politico.com/story/2015/03/rebels-with-a-cause-115806.html">"Rebels with a cause"</a>. <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Politico" title="Politico">Politico</a></i><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">July 22,</span> 2015</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AFreedom+Caucus&rft.atitle=Rebels+with+a+cause&rft.aufirst=Jake&rft.au=French%2C+Lauren&rft.aulast=Sherman&rft.date=2015-03-06&rft.genre=unknown&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.politico.com%2Fstory%2F2015%2F03%2Frebels-with-a-cause-115806.html&rft.jtitle=Politico&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal" class="Z3988" /></span></font></li>

<li id="cite_note-Versus-3"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></li><li id="cite_note-Versus-3"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"> <span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation web">Newhauser, Daniel (June 24, 2015). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.nationaljournal.com/congress/boehner-vs-freedom-caucus-battle-escalates-20150624">"Boehner-vs.-Freedom-Caucus Battle Escalates"</a>. <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Journal" title="National Journal">National Journal</a></i><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">July 22,</span> 2015</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AFreedom+Caucus&rft.atitle=Boehner-vs.-Freedom-Caucus+Battle+Escalates&rft.aufirst=Daniel&rft.aulast=Newhauser&rft.date=2015-06-24&rft.genre=unknown&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nationaljournal.com%2Fcongress%2Fboehner-vs-freedom-caucus-battle-escalates-20150624&rft.jtitle=National+Journal&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal" class="Z3988" /></span></font></li>

<li id="cite_note-4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></li><li id="cite_note-4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"> <span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation web">Sullivan, Sean (March 4, 2015). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/insurgent-bloc-of-house-conservatives-proving-to-be-a-thorn-in-boehners-side/2015/03/04/6bec23e4-c29c-11e4-9ec2-b418f57a4a99_story.html">"Insurgent bloc of House conservatives proving to be a thorn in Boehner’s side"</a>. <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_Post" title="Washington Post" class="mw-redirect">Washington Post</a></i><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">July 22,</span> 2015</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AFreedom+Caucus&rft.atitle=Insurgent+bloc+of+House+conservatives+proving+to+be+a+thorn+in+Boehner%99s+side&rft.aufirst=Sean&rft.aulast=Sullivan&rft.date=2015-03-04&rft.genre=unknown&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonpost.com%2Fpolitics%2Finsurgent-bloc-of-house-conservatives-proving-to-be-a-thorn-in-boehners-side%2F2015%2F03%2F04%2F6bec23e4-c29c-11e4-9ec2-b418f57a4a99_story.html&rft.jtitle=Washington+Post&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal" class="Z3988" /></span></font></li>

<li id="cite_note-5"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></li><li id="cite_note-5"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"> <span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation web"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/freedom-caucus-house-boehner-Jim-Jordan/2015/07/13/id/654681/">"House Freedom Caucus Looks to Bend Leadership to Its Will"</a>. <i>Newsmax</i><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">October 9,</span> 2015</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AFreedom+Caucus&rft.atitle=House+Freedom+Caucus+Looks+to+Bend+Leadership+to+Its+Will&rft.genre=unknown&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newsmax.com%2FNewsfront%2Ffreedom-caucus-house-boehner-Jim-Jordan%2F2015%2F07%2F13%2Fid%2F654681%2F&rft.jtitle=Newsmax&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal" class="Z3988" /></span></font></li>

<li id="cite_note-6"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></li><li id="cite_note-6"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"> <span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation web">Taylor, Tyler (January 28, 2015). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.hngn.com/articles/64373/20150128/newy-formed-house-freedom-caucus-claims-responsibility-for-immigration-bill-delay.htm">"House Freedom Caucus Delays Immigration Bill"</a>. <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Headlines_and_Global_News&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Headlines and Global News (page does not exist)">Headlines and Global News</a></i><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">July 22,</span> 2015</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AFreedom+Caucus&rft.atitle=House+Freedom+Caucus+Delays+Immigration+Bill&rft.aufirst=Tyler&rft.aulast=Taylor&rft.date=2015-01-28&rft.genre=unknown&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.hngn.com%2Farticles%2F64373%2F20150128%2Fnewy-formed-house-freedom-caucus-claims-responsibility-for-immigration-bill-delay.htm&rft.jtitle=Headlines+and+Global+News&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal" class="Z3988" /></span></font></li>

<li id="cite_note-official-7"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></li><li id="cite_note-official-7"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"> <span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation web">Eaton, Sabrina (February 11, 2015). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.cleveland.com/open/index.ssf/2015/02/its_official_rep_jim_jordan_no.html">"It's official: Rep. Jim Jordan now chairs the House Freedom Caucus"</a>. <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Plain_Dealer#cleveland.com" title="The Plain Dealer">Cleveland</a></i><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">July 22,</span> 2015</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AFreedom+Caucus&rft.atitle=It%27s+official%3A+Rep.+Jim+Jordan+now+chairs+the+House+Freedom+Caucus&rft.aufirst=Sabrina&rft.aulast=Eaton&rft.date=2015-02-11&rft.genre=unknown&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cleveland.com%2Fopen%2Findex.ssf%2F2015%2F02%2Fits_official_rep_jim_jordan_no.html&rft.jtitle=Cleveland&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal" class="Z3988" /></span></font></li>

<li id="cite_note-8"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></li><li id="cite_note-8"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"> <span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation web">Graf, Scott (January 28, 2015). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://boisestatepublicradio.org/post/idahos-rep-labrador-joins-other-tea-party-conservatives-form-freedom-caucus">"Idaho's Rep. Labrador Joins Other Tea Party Conservatives To Form 'Freedom Caucus<span style="padding-right:0.2em;">'</span>"</a>. <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boise_State_Public_Radio" title="Boise State Public Radio">Boise State Public Radio</a></i><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">July 22,</span> 2015</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AFreedom+Caucus&rft.atitle=Idaho%27s+Rep.+Labrador+Joins+Other+Tea+Party+Conservatives+To+Form+%27Freedom+Caucus%27&rft.aufirst=Scott&rft.aulast=Graf&rft.date=2015-01-28&rft.genre=unknown&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fboisestatepublicradio.org%2Fpost%2Fidahos-rep-labrador-joins-other-tea-party-conservatives-form-freedom-caucus&rft.jtitle=Boise+State+Public+Radio&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal" class="Z3988" /></span></font></li>

<li id="cite_note-9"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></li><li id="cite_note-9"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"> <span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation web">Ferrechio, Susan (January 26, 2015). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/conservative-lawmakers-form-house-freedom-caucus/article/2559258">"Conservative lawmakers form House Freedom Caucus"</a>. <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_Examiner" title="Washington Examiner" class="mw-redirect">Washington Examiner</a></i><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">July 22,</span> 2015</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AFreedom+Caucus&rft.atitle=Conservative+lawmakers+form+House+Freedom+Caucus&rft.aufirst=Susan&rft.aulast=Ferrechio&rft.date=2015-01-26&rft.genre=unknown&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fconservative-lawmakers-form-house-freedom-caucus%2Farticle%2F2559258&rft.jtitle=Washington+Examiner&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal" class="Z3988" /></span></font></li>

<li id="cite_note-10"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></li><li id="cite_note-10"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"> <span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation web">Miller, Darin (January 26, 2015). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://jordan.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=397889">"House Republicans form House Freedom Caucus"</a>. <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Jordan%28U.S.politician%29" title="Jim Jordan (U.S. politician)">Congressman Jim Jordan</a> at <a rel="nofollow" class="external free" href="http://jordan.house.gov/">http://jordan.house.gov/</a></i><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">July 22,</span> 2015</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AFreedom+Caucus&rft.atitle=House+Republicans+form+House+Freedom+Caucus&rft.aufirst=Darin&rft.aulast=Miller&rft.date=2015-01-26&rft.genre=unknown&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fjordan.house.gov%2Fnews%2Fdocumentsingle.aspx%3FDocumentID%3D397889&rft.jtitle=Congressman+Jim+Jordan+at+http%3A%2F%2Fjordan.house.gov%2F&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal" class="Z3988"> <span style="" class="error citation-comment">External link in <code style="border: inherit; padding: inherit;">|website=</code> (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:CS1_errors#param_has_ext_link" title="Help:CS1 errors">help</a>)</span></span></span></font></li>

<li id="cite_note-housedivided-11"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></li><li id="cite_note-28"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"> <span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation web">Broden, Scott (April 22, 2015). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.dnj.com/story/news/2015/04/22/desjarlais-raises-campaign/26213755/">"DesJarlais raises $144,677 for 2016 campaign"</a>. <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Daily_News_Journal" title="The Daily News Journal">The Daily News Journal</a></i><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">July 22,</span> 2015</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AFreedom+Caucus&rft.atitle=DesJarlais+raises+%24144%2C677+for+2016+campaign&rft.aufirst=Scott&rft.aulast=Broden&rft.date=2015-04-22&rft.genre=unknown&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dnj.com%2Fstory%2Fnews%2F2015%2F04%2F22%2Fdesjarlais-raises-campaign%2F26213755%2F&rft.jtitle=The+Daily+News+Journal&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal" class="Z3988" /></span></font></li>

<li id="cite_note-29"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></li><li id="cite_note-29"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"> <span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation web">Palmer, Anna; French, Lauren (February 5, 2015). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.politico.com/story/2015/02/ron-desantis-jeff-duncan-house-whip-team-114947.html">"Ron DeSantis, Jeff Duncan quit House whip team"</a>. <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wall_Street_Journal" title="Wall Street Journal" class="mw-redirect">Wall Street Journal</a></i><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">July 22,</span> 2015</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AFreedom+Caucus&rft.atitle=Ron+DeSantis%2C+Jeff+Duncan+quit+House+whip+team&rft.aufirst=Anna&rft.au=French%2C+Lauren&rft.aulast=Palmer&rft.date=2015-02-05&rft.genre=unknown&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.politico.com%2Fstory%2F2015%2F02%2Fron-desantis-jeff-duncan-house-whip-team-114947.html&rft.jtitle=Wall+Street+Journal&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal" class="Z3988" /></span></font></li>

<li id="cite_note-30"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></li><li id="cite_note-30"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"> <span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation news"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://trailblazersblog.dallasnews.com/2015/10/two-texas-republicans-holdouts-vote-against-paul-ryan-for-speaker.html/">"Two Texas Republicans holdouts vote against Paul Ryan for speaker"</a>. <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dallas_Morning_News" title="The Dallas Morning News">The Dallas Morning News</a></i>. October 29, 2015<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">January 8,</span> 2015</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AFreedom+Caucus&rft.atitle=Two+Texas+Republicans+holdouts+vote+against+Paul+Ryan+for+speaker&rft.date=2015-10-29&rft.genre=article&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Ftrailblazersblog.dallasnews.com%2F2015%2F10%2Ftwo-texas-republicans-holdouts-vote-against-paul-ryan-for-speaker.html%2F&rft.jtitle=The+Dallas+Morning+News&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal" class="Z3988" /></span></font></li>

<li id="cite_note-31"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></li><li id="cite_note-31"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"> <span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation web">Strong, Jonathon (January 27, 2015). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2015/01/27/secretive-freedom-caucus-claims-scalp-on-border-bill-delay/">"Secretive ‘Freedom Caucus’ Claims Scalp On Border Bill Delay"</a>. <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breitbart" title="Breitbart">Breitbart</a></i><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">July 22,</span> 2015</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AFreedom+Caucus&rft.atitle=Secretive+%98Freedom+Caucus%99+Claims+Scalp+On+Border+Bill+Delay&rft.aufirst=Jonathon&rft.aulast=Strong&rft.date=2015-01-27&rft.genre=unknown&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.breitbart.com%2Fbig-government%2F2015%2F01%2F27%2Fsecretive-freedom-caucus-claims-scalp-on-border-bill-delay%2F&rft.jtitle=Breitbart&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal" class="Z3988" /></span></font></li>

<li id="cite_note-Can_the_house-32"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></li><li id="cite_note-Can_the_house-32"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"> <span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation web">Darnell, Tim (March 19, 2015). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.peachpundit.com/2015/03/19/can-the-house-freedom-caucus-save-the-gop/">"Can the House Freedom Caucus save the GOP?"</a>. <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erick_Erickson" title="Erick Erickson">Peach Pundit</a></i><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">July 22,</span> 2015</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AFreedom+Caucus&rft.atitle=Can+the+House+Freedom+Caucus+save+the+GOP%3F&rft.aufirst=Tim&rft.aulast=Darnell&rft.date=2015-03-19&rft.genre=unknown&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.peachpundit.com%2F2015%2F03%2F19%2Fcan-the-house-freedom-caucus-save-the-gop%2F&rft.jtitle=Peach+Pundit&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal" class="Z3988" /></span></font></li>

<li id="cite_note-33"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></li><li id="cite_note-33"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"> <span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation web">Tillison, Tom (March 5, 2015). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.bizpacreview.com/2015/03/05/disgusted-house-republican-says-boehner-has-lost-control-he-has-to-call-nancy-pelosi-184368">"Disgusted House Republican says Boehner has lost control"</a>. <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bizpac_Review&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Bizpac Review (page does not exist)">Bizpac Review</a></i><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">July 22,</span> 2015</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AFreedom+Caucus&rft.atitle=Disgusted+House+Republican+says+Boehner+has+lost+control&rft.aufirst=Tom&rft.aulast=Tillison&rft.date=2015-03-05&rft.genre=unknown&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bizpacreview.com%2F2015%2F03%2F05%2Fdisgusted-house-republican-says-boehner-has-lost-control-he-has-to-call-nancy-pelosi-184368&rft.jtitle=Bizpac+Review&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal" class="Z3988" /></span></font></li>

<li id="cite_note-34"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></li><li id="cite_note-34"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"> <span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation news"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://edition.cnn.com/2015/09/30/politics/house-speaker-mccarthy-boehner-freedom-caucus/">"The House conservatives who want to rule the world"</a>. CNN. September 30, 2015<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">January 8,</span> 2016</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AFreedom+Caucus&rft.atitle=The+House+conservatives+who+want+to+rule+the+world&rft.date=2015-09-30&rft.genre=article&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fedition.cnn.com%2F2015%2F09%2F30%2Fpolitics%2Fhouse-speaker-mccarthy-boehner-freedom-caucus%2F&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal" class="Z3988" /></span></font></li>

<li id="cite_note-35"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></li><li id="cite_note-35"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external free" href="https://twitter.com/chrisvillani44/status/659735610119311361">https://twitter.com/chrisvillani44/status/659735610119311361</a></span></font></li>

<li id="cite_note-pewwho-36"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></li><div class="reflist columns references-column-width" style="-moz-column-width: 30em; -webkit-column-width: 30em; column-width: 30em; list-style-type: decimal;"><ol class="references"><li value="36" id="cite_note-pewwho-36"> <span class="reference-text"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><cite id="CITEREFDrew_DeSilver2015" class="citation">Drew DeSilver (October 20, 2015), <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/10/20/house-freedom-caucus-what-is-it-and-whos-in-it/"><i>What is the House Freedom Caucus, and who’s in it?</i></a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pew_Research_Center" title="Pew Research Center">Pew Research Center</a></cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AFreedom+Caucus&rft.au=Drew+DeSilver&rft.btitle=What+is+the+House+Freedom+Caucus%2C+and+who%99s+in+it%3F&rft.date=2015-10-20&rft.genre=book&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pewresearch.org%2Ffact-tank%2F2015%2F10%2F20%2Fhouse-freedom-caucus-what-is-it-and-whos-in-it%2F&rft.pub=Pew+Research+Center&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook" class="Z3988" /></font></span></li></ol>

</div>

<h2><span class="mw-headline" id="Further_reading"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Further reading</font></span></h2><div id="mw-content-text" dir="ltr" class="mw-content-ltr" lang="en">

<ul><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><cite id="CITEREFCristina_Marcos2015" class="citation">Cristina Marcos (January 26, 2015), <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/230693-house-gop-conservatives-form-new-freedom-caucus">"House conservatives form 'Freedom Caucus<span style="padding-right:0.2em;">'</span>"</a>, <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hill%28newspaper%29" title="The Hill (newspaper)">The Hill</a></i></cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AFreedom+Caucus&rft.atitle=House+conservatives+form+%27Freedom+Caucus%27&rft.au=Cristina+Marcos&rft.date=2015-01-26&rft.genre=article&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fthehill.com%2Fblogs%2Fblog-briefing-room%2Fnews%2F230693-house-gop-conservatives-form-new-freedom-caucus&rft.jtitle=The+Hill&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal" class="Z3988" /></font></li><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><cite id="CITEREFJeremy_Carl2015" class="citation">Jeremy Carl (October 13, 2015), <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://time.com/4067218/freedom-caucus/">"The Freedom Caucus Is a Rebellion That Could Change the GOP's Future"</a>, <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time%28magazine%29" title="Time (magazine)">Time</a></i></cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AFreedom+Caucus&rft.atitle=The+Freedom+Caucus+Is+a+Rebellion+That+Could+Change+the+GOP%27s+Future&rft.au=Jeremy+Carl&rft.date=2015-10-13&rft.genre=article&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Ftime.com%2F4067218%2Ffreedom-caucus%2F&rft.jtitle=Time&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal" class="Z3988" /></font></li><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><cite id="CITEREFLinda_Killian2015" class="citation">Linda Killian (October 10, 2015), <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2015/10/10/how-house-freedom-caucus-has-alienated-members-and-risks-its-agenda/">"How House Freedom Caucus Has Alienated Members–and Risks Its Agenda"</a>, <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wall_Street_Journal" title="The Wall Street Journal">The Wall Street Journal</a></i></cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AFreedom+Caucus&rft.atitle=How+House+Freedom+Caucus+Has+Alienated+Members%93and+Risks+Its+Agenda&rft.au=Linda+Killian&rft.date=2015-10-10&rft.genre=article&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.wsj.com%2Fwashwire%2F2015%2F10%2F10%2Fhow-house-freedom-caucus-has-alienated-members-and-risks-its-agenda%2F&rft.jtitle=The+Wall+Street+Journal&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal" class="Z3988" /></font></li></ul>

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    <div id="catlinks" class="catlinks" data-mw="interface"><div id="mw-normal-catlinks" class="mw-normal-catlinks"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Category" title="Help:Category">Categories</a>: </font><ul><li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:2015_in_American_politics" title="Category:2015 in American politics"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">2015 in American politics</font></a></li><li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Organizations_established_in_2015" title="Category:Organizations established in 2015"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">Organizations established in 2015</font></a></li><li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Caucuses_of_the_United_States_Congress" title="Category:Caucuses of the United States Congress"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">Caucuses of the United States Congress</font></a></li><li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Far-right_politics_in_the_United_States" title="Category:Far-right politics in the United States"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">Far-right politics in the United States</font></a></li><li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Ideological_caucuses_of_the_United_States_Congress" title="Category:Ideological caucuses of the United States Congress"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">Ideological caucuses of the United States Congress</font></a></li><li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Political_organizations_in_the_United_States" title="Category:Political organizations in the United States"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">Political organizations in the United States</font></a></li><li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Republican_Party_%28United_States%29" title="Category:Republican Party (United States)"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">Republican Party (United States)</font></a></li><li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Republican_Party_%28United_States%29_organizations" title="Category:Republican Party (United States) organizations"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">Republican Party (United States) organizations</font></a></li><li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Political_party_factions_in_the_United_States" title="Category:Political party factions in the United States"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">Political party factions in the United States</font></a></li><li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Tea_Party_movement" title="Category:Tea Party movement"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">Tea Party movement</font></a></li><li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Right-wing_populism" title="Category:Right-wing populism"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">Right-wing populism</font></a></li></ul></div></div></div><font size="4" style="" face="Times New Roman"><br /><br />===<br />Republican split that defines this year’s presidential campaign has 

been on display in Congress for years, with the most conservative wing

battling party leaders on issues from spending to immigration.

</font><p style=""><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">A ProPublica analysis of campaign donations highlights just how profound this gap has become in the House of Representatives.</font></p>

    
    <div class="callout-ad ad" id="google-callout" style="">
        
    </div><p style=""><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The analysis shows that the Republican leadership, 

including Speaker Paul Ryan and Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, raises

money from a vastly different set of political action committees than

members further to the right. In fact, the donor bases for Ryan and

McCarthy are actually more similar to some Democrats than to their

colleagues in the main conservative grouping, the Freedom Caucus.</font>

<font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The fundraising disparity stokes the divisive atmosphere in Congress,

reinforcing policy differences and sometimes affecting the outcome of

legislation in surprising ways. </font>

<font size="4" face="Times New Roman">For example, when a Republican-backed plan to ease a campaign finance

rule evaporated in Congress, it was the most conservative GOP lawmakers

in the House who<a href="http://www.npr.org/2015/12/06/458664381/tea-party-and-democrats-aligned-against-campaign-finance-measure"> joined</a> with liberal Democrats to get it killed. </font>

<font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The provision, which<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/omnibus-budget-campaign-finance_56718ab1e4b0688701dbb4f9?i0be29="> died in December</a>,

was initiated by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and

was included in a must-pass spending bill. It would have eliminated

caps on the money a national party committee can spend in coordination

with a candidate.</font>

<font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The caps were originally meant to reduce the amount of outside cash

flowing directly to advocacy for a particular candidate. Those in favor

of lifting the restrictions say they are outmoded in the increasingly

wild world of campaign finance and effectively give less-accountable

outside groups like super PACs more influence than traditional parties.</font>

<font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Many Democrats argued that eliminating the caps would have opened the

spigot to even more big money in politics. For conservatives, the

reason to<a href="https://mobile.twitter.com/freedomcaucus/status/672122808416272384"> oppose</a> the McConnell plan was different: It might have helped Republican leaders quash internal dissenters. </font>

<font size="4" face="Times New Roman">With a bigger campaign war chest raised from donors who support

mainstream Republicans, the party would find it easier to select and

back its favored House candidates. “The McConnell rider provides

preferential treatment to the Washington establishment,” the

Conservative Action Project, a group led by former Attorney General

Edwin Meese,<a href="http://files.ctctcdn.com/2438cc3e001/ebbc9df2-d5de-404d-b283-b11bfeef5c67.pdf"> wrote</a> in appealing to like-minded lawmakers to fight the measure.</font>

<font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The differences in donor bases affect other policy debates, said Dave

Brat of Virginia, a Freedom Caucus member who defeated then-Majority

Leader Eric Cantor in the 2014 primary and went on to take his seat. For

instance, he said, conservatives lost their fight to defund the U.S.

Export-Import Bank last year in part because the companies that benefit

from the bank won over Republicans and Democrats who received campaign

contributions from those firms.</font>

<font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The disparity is “a huge deal,” Brat said.</font>

<font size="4" face="Times New Roman">ProPublica’s analysis used a calculation called<a href="https://github.com/TheUpshot/Bedfellows/blob/master/introduction.md"> cosine similarity</a>

to compare each House members’ donors to others; two members with an

identical set of donors would receive a score of 1, while two with no

PAC donors in common would get a score of 0.</font>

<font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The degree of similarity between Ryan’s 2014 PAC donors and those of

Freedom Caucus members Justin Amash of Michigan and Ted Yoho of Florida

was close to nil: 0.03 and 0.16. Tim Huelskamp, a Kansas Republican who <a href="http://www.kake.com/home/headlines/Huelskamp-Removed-From-House-Budget-Committee-182023381.html">lost his seat on the House Agriculture Committee</a>

in 2012 for his votes against leadership, had few PAC donors in common

with Ryan (a score of 0.15) or any other House colleague in 2014: his

highest score was 0.3, with fellow Kansan Mike Pompeo.</font>

<font size="4" face="Times New Roman">PAC donors to House Majority Leader McCarthy, of California, were

more like Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer’s (0.53 score) than they were

those of Ohio Republican Jim Jordan, who heads the Freedom Caucus

(0.31).</font>

<font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The gap between the leadership and insurgents has widened since 2008.

That year, McCarthy’s PAC donors were more similar to those of Michele

Bachmann, the former Minnesota congresswoman who founded the House’s Tea

Party caucus, than they were to PACs that gave to then-Majority Leader

Cantor or then-Speaker John Boehner. By the end of 2014, the gulf

between McCarthy and the conservatives was much wider: all House GOP

leaders, and even 11House Democrats, had PAC donors more similar to

McCarthy’s than any member of the Freedom Caucus.</font></p><font size="4" style="" face="Times New Roman"><a href="http://www.propublica.org/article/campaign-donations-reflect-the-sharp-split-in-congress-among-republicans" style="">http://www.propublica.org/article/campaign-donations-reflect-the-sharp-split-in-congress-among-republicans</a>
===
blog anti green house:

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<font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="http://www.salon.com/2014/08/07/tea_party_nuts_telling_tantrum_what_justin_amashs_victory_speech_revealed_about_gop/">Tea Party</a> Rep. Amash. was <a href="http://ballotpedia.org/Justin_Amash">re-elected to a<b> </b>3rd term</a> with 58% of the vote.&nbsp;

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Amash was 1 of 25 House Republicans who <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2015/01/06/boehner-could-face-biggest-speaker-defection-since-1923/">voted against John Boehner for Speaker</a>.<b>
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<font size="4" style="" face="Times New Roman"><b>No Friend to the Environment dishonor roll</b>.

<b style="">Alabama Congressional delegation:&nbsp; U.S. House of Representatives.&nbsp;&nbsp;</b> (Their anti-environmentalism can be summed up in one word:&nbsp; coal.&nbsp; Which is odd, since <a href="http://www.nma.org/pdf/c_production_state_rank.pdf" style="">Alabama contributes a mere 1.9% of U.S. production</a><b style="">, </b>good enough for an overall ranking of 13.&nbsp; The state's peak year of production:&nbsp; 1990)<b style="">&nbsp;&nbsp;</b>

</font><ul style=""><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b><b>1st District</b>.&nbsp; <a href="http://paulsnewsline.blogspot.com/2014/11/no-friend-to-environment-republican.html">Bradley Byrne (R)</a></b>.&nbsp; Proposed an amendment that would have cut all FY 2015 funding for the Department of Energy’s <a href="http://energy.gov/eere/office-energy-efficiency-renewable-energy">Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy</a>.&nbsp;</font></li><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>2nd District.&nbsp; </b><b><a href="http://paulsnewsline.blogspot.com/2014/11/no-friend-to-environment-republican_14.html">Martha Roby (R)</a></b>. &nbsp; Voted YES on opening Outer Continental Shelf to oil drilling and barring EPA from regulating greenhouse gases.

Signed the No Climate Tax Pledge by <a href="http://americansforprosperity.org/">Americans for Prosperity.</a></font></li><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>3rd District.&nbsp; </b><a href="http://paulsnewsline.blogspot.com/2014/11/no-friend-to-environment-republican_64.html"><b>Mike Rogers (R)</b></a>. &nbsp; League of Conservation scorecard:

2013: 0%.&nbsp;

Lifetime (2003-): 9%.&nbsp;</font></li><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>4th District</b>.&nbsp; <b><a href="http://paulsnewsline.blogspot.com/2014/11/no-friend-to-environment-republican_51.html">Robert Aderholt (R)</a>.</b>&nbsp; Without bothering to fact-check, he uses a <a href="http://www.skepticalscience.com/OISM-Petition-Project.htm">discredited petition</a> rejecting climate change to make a point.&nbsp;</font></li><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>5th District.</b>&nbsp; <b><a href="http://paulsnewsline.blogspot.com/2014/11/no-friend-to-environment-republican_38.html">Mo Brooke (R)</a></b>.&nbsp; <a href="http://brooks.house.gov/press-releases/climate-experts-testify-that-climate-change-projections-are-unreliable-and-misleading/">Climate Experts Testify that Climate Change Projections are Unreliable and Misleading.</a></font></li><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>6th District</b>.&nbsp; <b><a href="http://paulsnewsline.blogspot.com/2014/11/no-friend-to-environment-republican_7.html">Stephen Baucus (R)</a>. </b>&nbsp; League of Conservation scorecard:

2013: 0%

Lifetime (1993- ): 8%

</font></li></ul>

<font size="4" style="" face="Times New Roman"><b style="">Alaska Congressional delegation:&nbsp; U.S. House of Representatives</b>

</font><ul style=""><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>At-large District.&nbsp; </b><b><a href="http://paulsnewsline.blogspot.com/2014/11/no-friend-to-environment-republican_16.html">Don Young (R)</a>. &nbsp; </b>Ridiculed environmentalists as a “self-centered bunch of waffle-stomping, Harvard-graduating,

intellectual idiots.....not Americans, never have been Americans,

never will be Americans.”&nbsp;</font></li></ul><font size="4" style="" face="Times New Roman">

&nbsp;<b style="">Arizona Congressional delegation:&nbsp; U.S. House of Representatives</b>

</font><ul style=""><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>4th District.&nbsp;<a href="http://paulsnewsline.blogspot.com/2014/11/no-friend-to-environment-republican_10.html"> Paul Gosar (R)</a>. &nbsp; </b>Takes his environmental cues from cattle and sheep producers.</font></li><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>5th District.&nbsp; <a href="http://paulsnewsline.blogspot.com/2014/11/no-friend-to-environment-republican_17.html">Matt Salmon (R</a>).</b>

&nbsp; This quote sums up his view:&nbsp; “I found the source of global warming

is coming from the hot air coming out of Washington.”&nbsp; Signed Koch

Brothers "<a href="http://americansforprosperity.org/noclimatetax">No Climate Tax</a>" pledge.&nbsp;</font></li><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>6th District.&nbsp; <a href="http://paulsnewsline.blogspot.com/2014/11/no-friend-to-environment-republican_28.html">David Schweikert (R)</a></b>.&nbsp; Known to throw a hissy over "the Al Gores of the world".&nbsp; Chairs <a href="http://science.house.gov/subcommittee-environment-0#overlay-context=">House Subcommittee on Environment</a>.&nbsp;</font></li><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>8th District.&nbsp; <a href="http://paulsnewsline.blogspot.com/2014/11/no-friend-to-environment-republican_19.html">Trent Franks (R)</a>. &nbsp;</b><a href="http://scorecard.lcv.org/moc/trent-franks"> League of Conservation scorecard:2013</a>: 11%.&nbsp;

Lifetime (since 2003): 5%.&nbsp;</font></li></ul>

<font size="4" style="" face="Times New Roman"><b style="">Arkansas Congressional delegation:&nbsp; U.S. House of Representatives</b>

</font><ul style=""><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>1st District.&nbsp; <a href="http://paulsnewsline.blogspot.com/2014/11/no-friend-to-environment-republican_18.html">Rick Crawford (R)</a>.</b>&nbsp;&nbsp; <a href="http://citizensclimatelobby.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/ARbios.pdf">Vow to his constituents</a>:&nbsp;

"As long as the Obama EPA continues its assault on farmers, I will

continue to fight senseless regulations that only serve to cripple

American agriculture."&nbsp;</font></li><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>2nd District.&nbsp; <a href="http://paulsnewsline.blogspot.com/2014/11/no-friend-to-environment-republican_54.html">Tim Griffin (R).</a></b>&nbsp; Perhaps one of the few scientists in the Republican House caucus.&nbsp; As far as global warming is concerned, he claims "<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rep-jackie-speier/earth-day-treat-climate-c_b_5193754.html">that there are a lot of shenanigans going on with the data</a>." &nbsp;&nbsp;</font></li><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>3rd District.&nbsp;<a href="http://ballotpedia.org/Mark_Pryor"> Steve Womack</a></b><a href="http://ballotpedia.org/Mark_Pryor"> (R).</a> &nbsp; <a href="http://womack.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=340529">Loves his fossil fuels</a>.</font></li><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>4th District.&nbsp;</b> <b><a href="http://paulsnewsline.blogspot.com/2014/11/no-friend-to-environment-republican_30.html">Tom Cotton (R)</a>.</b>&nbsp; Claims the earth's temperature hasn't warmed in 16 years, a climate denier meme.&nbsp; The reality:&nbsp; <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/07/09/you-cant-deny-global-warming-after-seeing-this-graph/">9 of the 10 warmest years on record occurred since 1998</a>.</font></li></ul>

<font size="4" style="" face="Times New Roman"><b style="">California Congressional delegation:&nbsp; U.S. House of Representatives</b>

</font><ul style=""><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>1st District.&nbsp; <a href="http://paulsnewsline.blogspot.com/2014/11/no-friend-to-environment-republican_20.html">Doug LaMalfa (R)</a>.&nbsp; </b><a href="http://www.newsreview.com/chico/lamalfa-awarded-booby-prize/content?oid=11012827">Ask him about</a> air conditioners, packing plants, or praying for rain.</font></li><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>4th District.&nbsp; <a href="http://paulsnewsline.blogspot.com/2014/11/no-friend-to-environment-republican_11.html">Tom McClintock (R)</a></b>.&nbsp; Still smarting that he <a href="http://mcclintock.house.gov/2009/03/inconvenient-questions.shtml">never received a Nobel Prize</a> in the 3rd grade.&nbsp;</font></li><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>8th District.&nbsp; <a href="https://www.blogger.com/goog_1080939450">Paul Cook (R)</a></b><a href="http://./">.</a> &nbsp; <a href="http://www.alec.org/initiatives/federal-relations/u-s-house-of-representatives/">ALEC shill</a> for the Keystone pipeline.&nbsp;</font></li><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>10th District.&nbsp;<a href="http://paulsnewsline.blogspot.com/2014/11/no-friend-to-environment-republican_21.html"> Jeff Denham (R)</a>.</b>&nbsp; Appears to think that climate skeptics are on "<a href="http://thinkprogress.org/climate-denier-caucus/">the right side of the issue</a>."&nbsp;&nbsp;</font></li><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>21st District.&nbsp; <a href="http://paulsnewsline.blogspot.com/2014/11/no-friend-to-environment-republican_40.html">David Valadao (R)</a>.</b>&nbsp; Represents a portion of California's Central Valley, a <a href="http://blog.sfgate.com/nov05election/2014/08/18/central-valley-dems-run-from-climate-change/">hotbed of climate skepticis</a>m, as the representative's <a href="http://scorecard.lcv.org/moc/david-g-valadao">League of Conservation Voters scorecard</a> indicates.&nbsp;</font></li><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>22nd District.&nbsp; <a href="http://paulsnewsline.blogspot.com/2014/11/no-friend-to-environment-republican_23.html">Devin Nunes</a></b><a href="http://paulsnewsline.blogspot.com/2014/11/no-friend-to-environment-republican_23.html"> <b>(R)</b></a>. &nbsp; <a href="http://nunes.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=343947">Throws hissy fit</a>, a Republican specialty, over what he calls Obama's extremist climate agenda.</font></li><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>23rd District.&nbsp; <a href="http://paulsnewsline.blogspot.com/2014/11/no-friend-to-environment-republican_6.html">Kevin McCarthy (R)</a></b>. &nbsp; Bemoans those dang "<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/07/23/c%20alifornia-drought-kevin-mccarthy_n_5611400.html">harmful regulations</a>".</font></li><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>25th District.&nbsp;<a href="http://paulsnewsline.blogspot.com/2014/11/no-friend-to-environment-republican_93.html"> Buck McKeon (R)</a></b>.&nbsp; 7% lifetime score on League of Conservation Voters' <a href="http://scorecard.lcv.org/moc/buck-mckeon">National Environment Scorecard </a>after 24 years in House.</font></li><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>31st District.&nbsp; <a href="http://paulsnewsline.blogspot.com/2014/11/no-friend-to-environment-republican_25.html">Gary Miller (R)</a></b>. &nbsp; 3% lifetime score on League of Conservation Voters' <a href="http://scorecard.lcv.org/moc/gary-g-miller">National Environment Scorecard</a> after 14 years in House.</font></li><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>39th District.&nbsp; <a href="http://paulsnewsline.blogspot.com/2014/11/no-friend-to-environment-republican_26.html">Ed Royce (R)</a>.</b>&nbsp; A liberal among the California Republican caucus:&nbsp; a 13% lifetime score on the League of Conservation Voters' <a href="http://scorecard.lcv.org/moc/ed-royce">National Environment Scorecard</a>.&nbsp;</font></li><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>42nd District.&nbsp; <a href="http://paulsnewsline.blogspot.com/2014/11/no-friend-to-environment-republican_96.html">Ken Calvert (R)</a></b>.&nbsp; Although comfortably ensconced in the <a href="http://scorecard.lcv.org/moc/ken-s-calvert">Republican environmental mainstream</a>, he's not above making an heretical remark or two. </font></li><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>45th District.&nbsp; <a href="http://paulsnewsline.blogspot.com/2014/11/no-friend-to-environment-republican_5.html">John Campbell (R)</a></b>.&nbsp; Signer of Americans for Prosperity "<a href="http://scorecard.lcv.org/moc/john-campbell">No Climate Tax Pledge</a>"; 9% lifetime score from the <a href="http://scorecard.lcv.org/moc/john-campbell">League of Conservative Voters</a>,&nbsp;</font></li><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>48th District.&nbsp; <a href="http://paulsnewsline.blogspot.com/2014/11/no-friend-to-environment-republican_76.html">Dana Rohrabacher (R)</a></b>.&nbsp; <a href="https://www.skepticalscience.com/skepticquotes.php?s=34">Mouths the same climate denier meme</a> as the newly elected U.S. Senator from Arkansas.</font></li><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>49th District.&nbsp; <a href="http://paulsnewsline.blogspot.com/2014/11/no-friend-to-environment-republican_1.html">Darrell Issa (R)</a></b>.&nbsp; The <a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/darrell-issa-richest-congressman-355-million-article-1.1431618">richest member of Congress</a>, he recently won the League of Conservation Voters "<a href="http://sandiegofreepress.org/2013/08/keeping-the-world-safe-from-science-issa-wins-climate-change-denier-award/">Climate Denier Award</a>".&nbsp;</font></li><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>50th District.&nbsp; <a href="http://paulsnewsline.blogspot.com/2014/11/no-friend-to-environment-republican_44.html">Duncan Hunter (R)</a></b>.&nbsp; Can you top this?&nbsp; "Thousands of people die every year of cold, so if we had global warming it would save lives."&nbsp;</font></li></ul>

<font size="4" style="" face="Times New Roman"><b style="">Colorado Congressional delegation:&nbsp; U.S. House of Representatives</b>

</font><ul style=""><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>3rd District.&nbsp; <a href="http://paulsnewsline.blogspot.com/2014/11/no-friend-to-environment-republican_72.html">Scott Tipton (R)</a></b>.&nbsp; <a href="http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/08/23/734181/scott-tipton-climate-change/">Tree ring</a>s tell us all we need to know.</font></li><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>4th District.&nbsp; <a href="http://paulsnewsline.blogspot.com/2014/11/no-friend-to-environment-republican_34.html">Cory Gardner (R)</a></b>.&nbsp; Another beneficiary of the <a href="http://www.realcorygardner.com/gardner-is-a-climate-denier/">2010 Tea Party wave</a>.&nbsp; And he adjusted his views accordingly.</font></li><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>5th District.&nbsp; <a href="http://paulsnewsline.blogspot.com/2014/11/no-friend-to-environment-republican_34.html">Doug Lamborn (R)</a></b>.&nbsp; Works tirelessly to assure that climate change remains "an <a href="http://lamborn.house.gov/2010-press-releases/lamborn-leads-effort-to-kill-cap-and-trade/">extremely controversial topic</a>". &nbsp; (Is also a big fan of <a href="http://paulsnewsline.blogspot.com/2014/11/republican-congressman-from-colorado.html">impeaching Obama</a>.)&nbsp;&nbsp;</font></li><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>6th District.&nbsp; <a href="http://paulsnewsline.blogspot.com/2014/11/no-friend-to-environment-republican_15.html">Mike Coffman (R)</a>.</b> &nbsp; Solidly parks his butt in the<a href="http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2014/09/24/3571504/climate-change-issue-makes-rep-mike-coffmans-head-spin/"> the-science-is-not-quite-settled</a> camp.&nbsp;</font></li></ul><font size="4" style="" face="Times New Roman">

No House Republicans hail from Connecticut and Delaware.&nbsp;<b style=""> </b>

<b style="">Florida Congressional delegation:&nbsp; U.S. House of Representatives</b>

</font><ul style=""><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>1st District.&nbsp; <a href="http://paulsnewsline.blogspot.com/2014/11/no-friend-to-environment-republican_33.html">Jeff Miller (R)</a>.&nbsp; </b>"<a href="http://www.newrepublic.com/article/118072/rep-jeff-miller-says-climate-change-killed-dinosaurs-omits-asteroid">Flintstones, meet the Flintstones</a>.&nbsp; They're the modern Stone Age fam-a-lee."</font></li><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>2nd District.&nbsp; <a href="http://paulsnewsline.blogspot.com/2014/11/no-friend-to-environment-republican_71.html">Steve Southerland (R)</a>.&nbsp; </b><a href="http://www.newsherald.com/polopoly_fs/1.391742.1414191824%21/menu/standard/file/GrahamSoutherlandResponses.pdf">Spouts the company line.</a></font></li><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>3rd District.&nbsp; <a href="http://paulsnewsline.blogspot.com/2014/11/no-friend-to-environment-republican_2.html">Ted Yoho (R)</a>.&nbsp; </b><a href="http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2014/04/15/3426668/ted-yoho-climate-denier/">"I'm not smart enough for that."</a></font></li><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>4th District.&nbsp; <a href="http://paulsnewsline.blogspot.com/2014/11/no-friend-to-environment-republican_47.html">Ander Crenshaw (R)</a>.&nbsp; </b><a href="http://crenshaw.house.gov/index.cfm/environment">All talk</a>, <a href="http://scorecard.lcv.org/moc/ander-crenshaw">no action</a>.</font></li><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>6th District.&nbsp; <a href="http://paulsnewsline.blogspot.com/2014/12/no-friend-to-environment-republican.html">Ron DeSantis (R)</a></b>.&nbsp; As reported by <a href="http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2014/03/20/3416563/desantis-climate-change/">ThinkProgress</a>, a majority of Congressional Republicans are climate deniers.&nbsp; At this point in the exercise, we appear to have unanimity.</font></li><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>7th District.&nbsp; <a href="http://paulsnewsline.blogspot.com/2014/12/no-friend-to-environment-republican_2.html">John Mica (R)</a></b>. &nbsp; 7% lifetime score from <a href="http://scorecard.lcv.org/moc/john-l-mica">League of Conservation Voters</a> after 22 years in the House.</font></li><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>8th District.&nbsp; <a href="http://paulsnewsline.blogspot.com/2014/12/no-friend-to-environment-republican_65.html">Bill Posey (R)</a>. </b>Sez climate change has been with us since <a href="http://www.hillheat.com/articles/2014/03/26/at-science-hearing-rep-bill-posey-r-fla-argues-global-warming-is-a-natural-phenomenon">the Earth was formed</a>.&nbsp; (Pick your date.)</font></li><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>10th District.&nbsp; <a href="http://paulsnewsline.blogspot.com/2014/12/no-friend-to-environment-republican_84.html">Daniel Webster (R)</a>.&nbsp; </b>9% score from <a href="http://scorecard.lcv.org/moc/daniel-webster">League of Conservation Voters</a> during his 2 terms in office.</font></li><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>11th District.&nbsp; <a href="http://paulsnewsline.blogspot.com/2014/12/no-friend-to-environment-republican_4.html">Richard Nugent (R)</a>.&nbsp;&nbsp; </b>6% score from <a href="http://scorecard.lcv.org/moc/rich-nugent">League of Conservation Voters</a> during his 2 terms in office.</font></li><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>12th District.&nbsp; <a href="http://paulsnewsline.blogspot.com/2014/12/no-friend-to-environment-republican_85.html">Gus Bilirakis (R)</a></b>.&nbsp; <a href="http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/12/05/1285801/filthy-five-new-house-energy-committee-members-ignore-climate-while-taking-17-million-from-fossil-fuels/">Big fan of fossil fuels</a>.&nbsp;</font></li><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>13th District.&nbsp; <a href="http://paulsnewsline.blogspot.com/2014/12/no-friend-to-environment-republican_73.html">David Jolly (R)</a></b>.&nbsp; Happy to <a href="http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/elections/pinellas-candidates-tackle-global-warming-sea-level-rise/2162818">drift along with the fossil-fuel flow</a>.&nbsp;</font></li><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>15th District.&nbsp; <a href="http://paulsnewsline.blogspot.com/2014/12/no-friend-to-environment-republican_7.html">Dennis Ross (R)</a></b>&nbsp; It's all about <a href="http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2014/03/21/3417465/dennis-ross-climate-change/">personal responsibility</a>.&nbsp;</font></li><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>16th District.&nbsp; <a href="http://paulsnewsline.blogspot.com/2014/12/no-friend-to-environment-republican_64.html">Vern Buchanan (R)</a></b>.&nbsp; Proud to represent his <a href="http://flatheadbeacon.com/2014/02/19/climate-losses/">rich waterfront property owners</a>.&nbsp;</font></li><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>17th District.&nbsp; <a href="http://paulsnewsline.blogspot.com/2014/12/no-friend-to-environment-republican_50.html">Tom Rooney (R)</a>. &nbsp; </b>One of <a href="http://scorecard.lcv.org/members-of-congress">48 Republican House members with a 0% score </a>from the National League of Conservation Voters in 2013.</font></li><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>19th District.&nbsp; <a href="http://paulsnewsline.blogspot.com/2014/12/no-friend-to-environment-republican_8.html">Curt Clawson (R)</a>.&nbsp; </b>Suggests that climate change "<a href="http://www.lwvlee.org/2014Elections/leecountyspecelecvoterguide.pdf">may not exist</a>".</font></li><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>25th District.&nbsp; <a href="http://paulsnewsline.blogspot.com/2014/12/no-friend-to-environment-republican_17.html">Mario Diaz-Balart (R)</a></b>.&nbsp; Not ready to jump on the <a href="http://www.climatenamechange.org/#/deniers">global warming bandwagon</a>.&nbsp;</font></li><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>27th District.&nbsp; <a href="http://paulsnewsline.blogspot.com/2014/12/no-friend-to-environment-republican_90.html">Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R)</a></b>.&nbsp; <a href="http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/news-columns-blogs/fred-grimm/article2510390.html">Chicken Little</a>, apparently, is one of her favorite folk tales.</font></li></ul>

<font size="4" style="" face="Times New Roman"><b style="">Georgia Congressional delegation:&nbsp; U.S. House of Representatives</b>

</font><ul style=""><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>1st District.&nbsp; <a href="http://paulsnewsline.blogspot.com/2014/12/no-friend-to-environment-republican_10.html">Jack Kingston (R)</a></b>.&nbsp; <a href="http://clatl.com/freshloaf/archives/2011/01/31/ga-congressman-evolution-thats-more-ridiculous-than-climate-change">Ask him about climate change</a>, and he'll give you his troglodyte views on evolution.</font></li><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>3rd District.&nbsp; <a href="http://paulsnewsline.blogspot.com/2014/12/no-friend-to-environment-republican_41.html">Lynn Westmoreland (R)</a>.</b>&nbsp; One of the Republicans who <a href="http://westmoreland.house.gov/press-releases/capitol-corner-climate-change-a-national-security-threat/">threw a hissy fit </a>when the Defense Department announced its climate change initiative.&nbsp;</font></li><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>6th District, <a href="http://paulsnewsline.blogspot.com/2014/12/no-friend-to-environment-republican_13.html">Tom Price (R)</a></b>.&nbsp; During 2009 floor debate on a climate-change bill, he <a href="http://articles.latimes.com/2009/jun/27/nation/na-climate27">asked colleagues for a moment of silence</a> for lost jobs.&nbsp;</font></li><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>7th District.&nbsp; <a href="http://paulsnewsline.blogspot.com/2014/12/no-friend-to-environment-republican_98.html">Rob Woodall (R)</a></b>.&nbsp; Like his colleague Lynn Westmoreland,

Rob believes that <a href="http://woodall.house.gov/press-release/woodall-amendments-save-51-million-taxpayer-money">climate change discussions should be, at best, marginalized,</a> not

expanded.&nbsp;</font></li><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>8th District.&nbsp; <a href="http://paulsnewsline.blogspot.com/2014/12/no-friend-to-environment-republican_14.html">Austin Scott (R)</a></b>. &nbsp; "<a href="http://www.npr.org/2013/09/05/219177442/rep-scott-tired-of-the-u-s-getting-involved-in-others-disputes">Absolutely</a>" skeptical when it comes to climate change.</font></li><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>9th District.&nbsp; <a href="http://paulsnewsline.blogspot.com/2014/12/no-friend-to-environment-republican_67.html">Doug Collins (R)</a></b>. &nbsp; Ranked by <a href="http://www.nationaljournal.com/free/document/download/5078-1"><i>National Journa</i></a>l as the most conservative member of the state's House delegation (90.2% rating, 16th overall).&nbsp;&nbsp;</font></li><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>10th District.&nbsp; <a href="http://paulsnewsline.blogspot.com/2014/12/no-friend-to-environment-republican_15.html">Paul Broun (R)</a>.</b>&nbsp; Believes that climate change is <a href="http://www.hillheat.com/articles/2014/02/24/rep-paul-broun-r-ga-thinks-global-warming-is-a-hoax">one of the greatest hoaxes perpetrated by the scientific community</a>.&nbsp; <a href="http://ballotpedia.org/Paul_Broun#2014">Got his butt kicked</a> in the 2014 Georgia Republican primary for U.S. Senate.</font></li><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>11th District.&nbsp; <a href="http://paulsnewsline.blogspot.com/2014/12/no-friend-to-environment-republican_22.html">Phil Gingrey, M.D. (R)</a></b>.&nbsp; <a href="http://thepoliticalcarnival.net/2014/04/21/gop-rep-gingrey-climate-change-govt-put-surgical-mask-rear-ends-every-cow/">Surgical masks for every cow</a>.</font></li><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">1<b>4th District.&nbsp; <a href="http://paulsnewsline.blogspot.com/2014/12/no-friend-to-environment-republican_30.html">Tom Graves (R)</a></b>.&nbsp; Has a <a href="http://tomgraves.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=340464">facility for stringing cliches together</a>.&nbsp;</font></li></ul><font size="4" style="" face="Times New Roman">

&nbsp;<b style="">Idaho Congressional delegation:&nbsp; U.S. House of Representatives</b>

</font><ul style=""><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>1st District.&nbsp; <a href="http://paulsnewsline.blogspot.com/2014/12/no-friend-to-environment-republican_81.html">Raul Labrador (R)</a>. &nbsp;&nbsp; </b>According to <a href="http://www.pfaw.org/rww-in-focus/the-ten-scariest-republicans-heading-to-congress#labrador">this list</a>, one of the scariest.</font></li><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>2nd District.&nbsp; <a href="http://paulsnewsline.blogspot.com/2014/12/no-friend-to-environment-republican_95.html">Mike Simpson (R)</a></b>.&nbsp; <a href="http://Tries%20to%20come%20across%20as%20reasonable,%20but%20his%20words%20are%20contradicted%20by%20his%207%%20lifetime%20score%20from%20the%20League%20of%20Conservative%20Voters.%20%20%28Lifetime%20=%209%20terms,%2018%20years.%29">Tries to come across as reasonable</a>, but his words are contradicted by his 7% lifetime score from the <a href="http://scorecard.lcv.org/moc/mike-simpson">League of Conservative Voters</a>. (Lifetime = 9 terms, 18 years.)

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</font></li></ul><font size="4" style="" face="Times New Roman">

&nbsp;<b style="">Illinois Congressional delegation:&nbsp; U.S. House of Representatives</b>

</font><ul style=""><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>6th District.&nbsp; <a href="http://paulsnewsline.blogspot.com/2014/12/no-friend-to-environment-republican_18.html">Peter Roskam (R)</a>.&nbsp;<a href="http://paulsnewsline.blogspot.com/2014/12/no-friend-to-environment-republican_39.html"> </a></b><a href="http://paulsnewsline.blogspot.com/2014/12/no-friend-to-environment-republican_39.html">Once referred to climate change as "junk science".&nbsp;</a></font></li><a href="http://paulsnewsline.blogspot.com/2014/12/no-friend-to-environment-republican_39.html"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">

</font></a><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>13th District.&nbsp; <a href="http://paulsnewsline.blogspot.com/2014/12/no-friend-to-environment-republican_39.html">Rodney Davis (R)</a></b>. &nbsp; Content to <a href="http://www.sj-r.com/article/20140602/News/140609872">spout the company line</a>.</font></li><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>14th District.&nbsp; <a href="http://paulsnewsline.blogspot.com/2014/12/no-friend-to-environment-republican_21.html">Randy Hultgren (R)</a></b>.&nbsp; Asserted in 2009 that "<a href="http://americanindependent.com/house-science-committee-state-climate-change-denial">we're headed in to a bit of a colder time.</a>"&nbsp;</font></li><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>15th District.&nbsp; <a href="http://paulsnewsline.blogspot.com/2014/12/no-friend-to-environment-republican_24.html">John Shimkus (R)</a></b>. &nbsp; "<a href="http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1110/44958.html">The B-I-B-L-E</a>/yes, that's the book for me/I stand alone on the word of God/the B-I-B-L-E!!"</font></li><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>16th District.&nbsp; <a href="http://paulsnewsline.blogspot.com/2014/12/no-friend-to-environment-republican_47.html">Adam Kinzinger (R)</a>.</b>&nbsp; Gives&nbsp; new meaning to "<a href="http://kinzinger.house.gov/energy/">all-inclusive</a>". &nbsp; </font></li><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>18th District.&nbsp; <a href="http://paulsnewsline.blogspot.com/2014/12/no-friend-to-environment-republican_54.html">Aaron Schock (R)</a></b>.&nbsp; When it comes to <a href="http://scorecard.lcv.org/moc/aaron-schock">support of environmental issues</a>, he's all talk and no action.</font></li></ul><font size="4" style="" face="Times New Roman">

&nbsp;<b style="">Indiana Congressional delegation:&nbsp; U.S. House of Representatives</b>

</font><ul style=""><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>2nd District.&nbsp; <a href="http://paulsnewsline.blogspot.com/2014/12/no-friend-to-environment-republican_19.html">Jackie Walorski (R</a>). &nbsp;</b> “<a href="http://thatsmycongress.com/house/repWalorskiIN2113.html">That’s My Congress</a>”

notes Rep. Walorski has followed a conservative course when voting on

environmental legislation -- and everything else, for that matter. &nbsp;

Earned a <b>0%</b> rating from the League of Conservation Voters after her first year in the House.</font></li><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>3rd District.&nbsp; <a href="http://paulsnewsline.blogspot.com/2014/12/no-friend-to-environment-republican_29.html">Martin Stutzman (R)</a></b>. &nbsp;Signed Americans for Prosperity’s “<a href="http://americansforprosperity.org/files/Stutzman_Marlin.pdf">No Climate Tax <b>Pledge”</b></a><b> a month before being sworn in as a member of Congress in 2010.&nbsp;</b></font></li><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>4th District.&nbsp; <a href="http://paulsnewsline.blogspot.com/2014/12/no-friend-to-environment-republican_25.html">Todd Rokita (R)</a>.</b>&nbsp; This <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/26/todd-rokita-climate-change_n_3817215.html">climate change denier</a> respects "God's green earth".&nbsp; Anyone who thinks otherwise is arrogant.</font></li><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>5th District.&nbsp; <a href="http://paulsnewsline.blogspot.com/2014/12/no-friend-to-environment-republican_23.html">Susan Brooks (R)</a></b>.&nbsp; The Walorski summary fits <a href="http://thatsmycongress.com/house/repBrooksIN5113.html">Brooks</a> to a T.&nbsp;</font></li><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>6th District.&nbsp; <a href="http://paulsnewsline.blogspot.com/2015/01/no-friend-to-environment-republican.html">Luke Messer (R)</a></b>. &nbsp; Considers climate change a <a href="http://messer.house.gov/media-center/editorials/time-to-focus-on-jobs">social issue</a>.</font></li><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>8th District.&nbsp; <a href="http://paulsnewsline.blogspot.com/2015/01/no-friend-to-environment-republican_3.html">Larry Bucshon M.D. (R)</a></b>.&nbsp; <a href="http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2014/09/17/3568923/bucshon-climate-scientists-money/">Climatologists are only in it for the money</a>. &nbsp;&nbsp;</font></li><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>9th District.&nbsp; <a href="http://paulsnewsline.blogspot.com/2015/01/no-friend-to-environment-republican_96.html">Todd Young (R)</a></b>. &nbsp; Describes himself as a climate agnostic.</font></li></ul><font size="4" style="" face="Times New Roman">

&nbsp;<b style="">Iowa Congressional delegation:&nbsp; U.S. House of Representatives</b>

</font><ul style=""><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>3rd District.&nbsp; <a href="http://paulsnewsline.blogspot.com/2015/01/no-friend-to-environment-republican_5.html">Tom Latham (R)</a>.</b> &nbsp;&nbsp;<b> </b>Earned a 8% lifetime score from the <a href="http://scorecard.lcv.org/moc/tom-latham">League of Conservative Voters</a> in his 20 years of Congressional service.</font></li><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>4th District.&nbsp; <a href="http://paulsnewsline.blogspot.com/2015/01/no-friend-to-environment-republican_48.html">Steve King (R)</a></b>. &nbsp; <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/08/steve-king-climate-change_n_3728326.html">Rep. King explains it all for you</a>.</font></li></ul>

<font size="4" style="" face="Times New Roman"><b style="">Kansas Congressional delegation:&nbsp; U.S. House of Representatives</b>

</font><ul style=""><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>1st District.&nbsp; <a href="http://paulsnewsline.blogspot.com/2015/01/no-friend-to-environment-republican_7.html">Tim Huelskamp (R)</a>.</b> &nbsp; &nbsp;<b> </b>A <a href="http://huelskamp.house.gov/issues/energy">fossil fuel kinda guy</a>,&nbsp; More development and utilization = jobs jobs jobs.</font></li><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>2nd District.&nbsp; <a href="http://paulsnewsline.blogspot.com/2015/01/no-friend-to-environment-republican_12.html">Lynn Jenkins (R</a>).&nbsp;&nbsp; </b>Knows how to <a href="http://lynnjenkins.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=59">tap dance</a> her way through a town hall forum.</font></li><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>3rd District.&nbsp; <a href="https://www.blogger.com/goog_1750473427">Kevin Yoder (R)</a></b><a href="http://./">.</a><a href="http://paulsnewsline.blogspot.com/2015/01/no-friend-to-environment-republican_9.html">http://paulsnewsline.blogspot.com/2015/01/no-friend-to-environment-republican_9.html</a>&nbsp; <a href="http://scorecard.lcv.org/moc/kevin-yoder">More of the same</a>.&nbsp;</font></li><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>4th District.&nbsp; <a href="http://paulsnewsline.blogspot.com/2015/01/no-friend-to-environment-republican_43.html">Mike Pompeo (R)</a></b>. &nbsp; Uses <a href="http://ecowatch.com/2014/06/22/sierra-club-mike-pompeo-twitter-climate-change/">social media</a> to trumpet his climate skepticism.&nbsp;</font></li></ul>

<font size="4" style="" face="Times New Roman"><b style="">Kentucky Congressional delegation:&nbsp; U.S. House of Representatives</b>

</font><ul style=""><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>1st District.&nbsp; <a href="http://paulsnewsline.blogspot.com/2015/01/no-friend-to-environment-republican_10.html">Ed Whitfield (R)</a>. &nbsp;&nbsp; </b><a href="http://whitfield.house.gov/issues/energy">In the pocket of coal industry</a>.</font></li><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>2nd District.&nbsp; <a href="http://paulsnewsline.blogspot.com/2015/01/no-friend-to-environment-republican_10.html">Brett Guthrie (R)</a>.</b>&nbsp; Another <a href="http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/corncracker">Corncracker</a> Soldier <a href="http://kftc.org/election/federal/brett-guthrie">fighting against the&nbsp; "War on Coal</a>".&nbsp;</font></li><a href="http://paulsnewsline.blogspot.com/2015/01/no-friend-to-environment-republican_11.html"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">

</font></a><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="http://paulsnewsline.blogspot.com/2015/01/no-friend-to-environment-republican_11.html"><b>4th District.&nbsp; Thomas Massie (R)</b></a>.&nbsp; <a href="http://news.sciencemag.org/2012/11/meet-representative-thomas-massie-constitutional-conservative-mit-pedigree">Not your garden-variety Republican</a>.</font></li><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>5th District.&nbsp; <a href="http://paulsnewsline.blogspot.com/2015/01/no-friend-to-environment-republican_14.html">Harold Rogers (R)</a></b>. &nbsp; Serves as the <a href="http://halrogers.house.gov/news/email/show.aspx?ID=JL6R7NKRZYACECPU6HBCST36NI">Supreme Commander</a> in the fight against the War on Coal.</font></li><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>6th District.&nbsp; <a href="http://paulsnewsline.blogspot.com/2015/01/no-friend-to-environment-republican_68.html">Andy Barr (R)</a></b>. &nbsp; A <a href="http://%E2%80%9CI%20will%20continue%20to%20fight%20the%20EPA%E2%80%99s%20efforts%20to%20ban%20coal%20mining%20in%20Eastern%20Kentucky%20and%20throughout%20Appalachia,%20as%20well%20as%20the%20regulatory%20assault%20that%20threatens%20the%20use%20of%20coal-fired%20electricity%20throughout%20this%20country,%20which%20are%20killing%20jobs%20and%20driving%20up%20electric%20rates.%E2%80%9D%20Barr%20voted%20against%20several%20measures%20designed%20to%20protect%20water%20resources,%20including%20one%20in%202013%20to%20stop%20coal%20companies%20from%20dumping%20toxic%20mining%20waste%20from%20mountaintop%20removal%20operations%20into%20waterways.">foot soldier</a> fighting against the War on Coal.</font></li></ul>

<font size="4" style="" face="Times New Roman"><b style="">Louisiana Congressional delegation:&nbsp; U.S. House of Representatives</b>

</font><ul style=""><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>1st District.&nbsp; <a href="http://paulsnewsline.blogspot.com/2015/01/no-friend-to-environment-republican_16.html">Steve Scalise (R)</a></b>.&nbsp;&nbsp; The <a href="http://www.rightwingwatch.org/content/steve-scalise-cpac-climate-change-myth-because-obama-was-cold-inauguration">empty-headedness of GOP talking points</a>.&nbsp; You can't m<b>ake this stuff up.</b></font></li><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>3rd District.&nbsp; <a href="http://paulsnewsline.blogspot.com/2015/01/no-friend-to-environment-republican_17.html">Charles W. Boustany, Jr., M.D. (R</a>)</b>.&nbsp; From coal to oil.&nbsp; "<a href="http://boustany.house.gov/energy/">All politics is local</a>".&nbsp;</font></li><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>4th District.&nbsp; <a href="http://paulsnewsline.blogspot.com/2015/01/no-friend-to-environment-republican_18.html">John Fleming (R)</a></b>. &nbsp; Like him on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/RepJohnFleming/posts/295555310545148">Facebook</a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;</font></li><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>5th District.&nbsp; <a href="http://paulsnewsline.blogspot.com/2015/01/no-friend-to-environment-republican_71.html">Ralph Abraham (R)</a></b>.&nbsp; Sez Keystone Pipeline will create <a href="http://www.ilr.cornell.edu/sites/ilr.cornell.edu/files/GLI_KeystoneXL_012312_FIN.pdf">40,000 construction jobs.</a></font></li><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>6th District.&nbsp; <a href="http://paulsnewsline.blogspot.com/2015/01/no-friend-to-environment-republican_19.html">Garret Graves (R)</a></b>.&nbsp;&nbsp; <a href="http://m.motherjones.com/politics/2014/11/garret-graves-louisiana-pragmatic-climate-denier">Possible renegade?</a></font></li></ul>

<font size="4" style="" face="Times New Roman"><b style="">Maine Congressional delegation:&nbsp; U.S. House of Representatives</b>

</font><ul style=""><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>2nd District.&nbsp; <a href="http://paulsnewsline.blogspot.com/2015/01/no-friend-to-environment-republican_90.html">Bruce Pol</a></b><a href="http://paulsnewsline.blogspot.com/2015/01/no-friend-to-environment-republican_90.html"><b>iquin (R)</b></a>.&nbsp; One of the newest members of the House Republicans <a href="http://www.mpbn.net/News/MPBNNews/tabid/1159/ctl/ViewItem/mid/3762/ItemId/12468/Default.aspx">Climate Skeptics caucus.</a> </font></li></ul>

<font size="4" style="" face="Times New Roman"><b style="">Maryland Congressional delegation:&nbsp;&nbsp; U.S. House of Representatives</b>

</font><ul style=""><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>1st District.&nbsp; <a href="http://paulsnewsline.blogspot.com/2015/01/no-friend-to-environment-republican_50.html">Andy Harris, M.D. (R)</a>.</b>&nbsp; Fighting to insure clear-channel outlet for <a href="http://www.thenewamerican.com/tech/environment/item/7010-congress-blocks-creation-of-national-climate-service">Republican climate skepticism propaganda</a>.</font></li></ul><font size="4" style="" face="Times New Roman">

No House Republicans in Massachusetts delegation.

<b style="">Michigan Congressional delegation:&nbsp;&nbsp; U.S. House of Representatives</b>

</font><ul style=""><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>&nbsp;1st District.&nbsp; <a href="http://paulsnewsline.blogspot.com/2015/01/no-friend-to-environment-republican_22.html">Dan Benishek, M.D. (R)</a>.&nbsp; </b>Well now, here's a Republican who <a href="http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2014/10/09/3577919/benishek-is-a-scientist/">claims to be a scientist</a>!</font></li><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>2nd District.&nbsp; <a href="http://paulsnewsline.blogspot.com/2015/01/no-friend-to-environment-republican_22.html">Bill Huizegna (R)</a></b>. &nbsp; Makes no bones about <a href="http://vote-mi.org/politicianissue.aspx?state=mi&id=mihuizengabill&issue=busenvironment">where he stands</a> on global warming, climate change.</font></li><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>3rd District.&nbsp; Justin Amash.</b>&nbsp; <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/15/us/politics/15freshman.html?_r=0">Meet Mr. Contrarian</a>. </font></li></ul><font size="4" style="" face="Times New Roman">
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