LF: The Freedom Caucus is at a crossroads

Rep. Mark Meadows (R-NC), chair of the House Freedom Caucus. Bill Clark / CQ-Roll Call

The loose agglomeration of hard-line conservatives known as the House Freedom Caucus routinely threatened to derail the government during the presidency of Barack Obama. Now, they’re threatening to derail the top legislative priority of President Donald Trump.

On the morning of the day the House is supposed to vote on the American Health Care Act, the White House — facing enough defections from both the Freedom Caucus on the right and a “coverage caucus” of moderate-ish Republicans — is negotiating directly with the Freedom Caucus to try to win over its support.

But what’s the point of the Freedom Caucus under a Republican president?

Some Republicans (Trump allies, to be sure) think the caucus has fulfilled its function, and should sit down and shut up. Rep. Chris Collins (R-NY) told Bloomberg this week that the Freedom Caucus “doesn’t serve a purpose any longer. They served a purpose on the far right to message to Barack Obama; it is now Donald Trump.”

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Freedom Caucus member Justin Amash responded on Twitter with a call to principle:

Our colleague seems to be saying principles are pointless now that there's a Republican in the WH. No, now is when principles matter most. https://t.co/Xae6Bj3Ihg— Justin Amash (@justinamash) March 22, 2017

But what principles, exactly? Now that the Freedom Caucus is no longer simply standing against a Democratic president, what exactly is it standing for?

It’s clear that the members of the Freedom Caucus don’t have a single, considered answer to this. After all, the way the negotiations have happened — with the White House and members of Republican House leadership making concessions to conservative policy demands, only to have Freedom Caucus head Rep. Mark Meadows (R-NC) come out and say they still don’t have the votes — makes it clear that Freedom Caucus members hold a lot of autonomy.

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Ultimately, though, what the Freedom Caucus or its members say or think they stand for matters less than the choices they make. The outcome of the Freedom Caucus’s AHCA negotiations will reveal which principles its members consider non-negotiable — and that, in turn, will say something about what the Freedom Caucus is going to do with itself under Trump.

Though it represents less than a sixth of House Republicans, by acting as a bloc (decisions agreed to by 80% of the Freedom Caucus are supposed to be binding on all), the Freedom Caucus has certainly made an impact since its formation.

Simple arithmetic: Currently, Republicans have 247 [10/2015] seats in the House to 188 for the Democrats, which would seem to be a comfortable majority. But if the 36 (or more) Freedom Caucus members vote as a bloc against the GOP leadership’s wishes, their effective strength falls to 211 or fewer – that is, less than the majority needed to elect a new speaker, pass bills and conduct most other business.

The Freedom Caucus, a group of 36-40 people must NOT be allowed to continue to control the entire business of the House….where they can elect a new speaker, pass only the bills they desire top pass and conduct most all other business.