Marjorie Taylor Greene Could Be Booted From Freedom Caucus

Topline

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) could be exiled from the House Freedom Caucus over her alliance with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Caif.), Politico reported—underscoring the far-right’s commitment to maintaining a grip over McCarthy that’s hamstrung his speakership.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) takes a photo with U.S. House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy … [+] (R-CA) after he was elected Speaker of the House on January 07, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

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Key Facts

Greene is among several members being considered for exile by the right-wing coalition of 40-some lawmakers Politico reported, citing three Republicans with knowledge of the talks.

The caucus is reportedly targeting Greene over her closeness to McCarthy, who has repeatedly been forced to placate the right-wingers by adhering to their demands when they’ve blocked efforts backed by the majority of the conference, including his own speaker election.

The caucus is eyeing other members for expulsion over inactivity, according to Politico.

Freedom Caucus Chair Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.) told Politico he rejected the push to remove some members, but other hardliners indicated it’s an ongoing issue: Rep. Dan Bishop (R-N.C.) said members who signal a willingness to break from the conference “become effectively subservient.”

The fracas underscores the chaos among House Republicans—not only are right-wing members fighting amongst themselves but they’ve repeatedly forced the conference to partake in risky votes that could be used against swing district Republicans in their re-election bids.

The tensions played out on the House floor this week over a surprise push by Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) to impeach President Joe Biden, an effort McCarthy himself opposed and one that was widely criticized by Republicans who veer more towards the center before it was ultimately tabled.

Crucial Quote

Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) told Politico about 80% of the House Freedom Caucus has been united on most issues, but said “on some big issues, we have not been able to get there,” adding that Greene has “been critical of us for a long time.”

Chief Critic

“When the MAGA wing nuts say jump, Speaker McCarthy says how high,” Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) told The New York Times of Boebert’s push to impeach Biden. McCarthy opposed the effort, but also gave merit to sending the measure to committees for further investigation, telling reporters “we take the investigations wherever the information tells us.”

Tangent

Greene lashed out at Boebert over her push to impeach Biden this week in a display of their ongoing rivalry, along with her allegiance to McCarthy. Greene, upset that Boebert “copied” her own effort to impeach Biden, confronted Boebert on the House floor Wednesday and called her a “little b—-h,” according to a Daily Beast report Greene later called “impressively accurate.” Greene also openly chastised Freedom Caucus members who suggested ousting McCarthy as speaker after he negotiated a debt ceiling deal some right-wingers believed did not adhere to their priorities.

Surprising Fact

McCarthy, considered an establishment Republican, has forged a relationship with Greene as she’s risen the ranks in the Republican conference and become a face of the national MAGA movement. Acknowledging the benefits of the relationship, McCarthy told The New York Times in January “if you’re going to be in a fight, you want Marjorie in your foxhole . . . she reminds me of my friends from high school, that we’re going to stick together all the way through.”

Key Background

The Freedom Caucus, founded in 2015 as a product of the Tea Party movement, has repeatedly leveraged the GOP’s slim 222-213 majority in the House to force McCarthy to adhere to their demands. Right-wingers dragged his speakership election to a historic 15 rounds of voting before enough members flipped their votes for him after he agreed to a list of concessions, including a process to make it easier for members to remove the speaker, budget caps and rollbacks of President Joe Biden’s policies. When McCarthy agreed in the debt ceiling negotiations to spending caps above what he promised to the Freedom Caucus during his speaker bid, members revolted and blocked GOP-backed legislation from moving forward in the House. McCarthy eventually resumed order after several days by agreeing to steeper cuts in the fiscal year 2023 budget. Many members, including Donalds, Perry, Boebert and Greene, are staunch loyalists of former President Donald Trump and have endorsed his 2024 campaign.