Dem
47
GOP
53
The House Freedom Caucus has roughly 30 members, and used to be able to gum up the works fairly regularly with outrageous demands. Since Donald Trump became president, they have been less effective because he is pretty good at blackmailing them, so FCACO. Nevertheless, it still carries some weight, especially in committees where several members are on the committee and can get bills written the way they want them.
The little power still remaining may be diluted even more in 2027 because a number of the most noisy members are running for some other office:
In addition, Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) is running for governor. If she wins, Rep. Andy Ogles (R-TN) is very interested in having her appoint him to the vacant Senate seat.
Many of the other Republicans (and some of the Democrats) will be happy to see these guys leave the House. Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-WI) said: "The outcome of Chip leaving is a more productive Congress." Nice to know how your work colleagues feel about you. Van Orden calls the Texan "Flip Roy," because he yells and screams and stomps his feet that some bill will cause the sky to fall and he will never vote for it, and then votes for it in the end anyway. RACO.
Roy is unusual in that he is not only good at grandstanding, but is also a good strategist who knows which fights to pick and which ones to leave alone. He understands "process" very well and in a room full of people who are all over the map, he is quite good at finding a solution that moves the policy in the direction he wants it, without the others even noticing that they have been had.
On the other hand, while Roy is an extreme right winger, he is also honest and not prone to double-crossing anyone. If he makes a deal, he can be counted on to stick to it. His departure will create a void of sorts since he was willing to make deals. Moderate Rep. Stephanie Bice (R-OK), who leads the Republican Main Street Caucus, said: "My hope is that we'll have members from the Freedom Caucus step up to fill that void, because there's a need for us to continue to work together."
As a whole, the FC members are very ambitious. They are about five times as likely as random backbenchers to run for higher office. About 17% of FC members have run for something higher since the group was formed in 2015. In contrast, for other House members, the number is 3%. Most House members are content to just get reelected to the House forever. (V)