These Republicans want to punish conservative rebels as tensions erupt in the House
USA TODAY'S
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Rep. Bob Good, R-Va., the chairman of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, talks to reporters at the Capitol in Washington, Friday, Jan. 12, 2024. J. Scott Applewhite , AP
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Rep. Bob Good, R-Va., the chairman of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, talks to reporters at the Capitol in Washington, Friday, Jan. 12, 2024. J. Scott Applewhite , AP |
House Freedom Caucus, talks to reporters at the Capitol in Washington, Friday, Jan. 12, 2024. J. Scott Applewhite , AP
WASHINGTON - A push to punish a handful of the most conservative lawmakers in the House reignited in a closed-door meeting on Wednesday, with some Republicans lashing out over their colleagues' continued disruption of the lower chamber and GOP leaders’ agenda.
In a weekly Republican meeting, Rep. Max Miller, R-Ohio, specifically called out the House Freedom Caucus during the meeting’s open mic session. The Freedom Caucus is a group made up of ultraconservative lawmakers who have often been a roadblock to spending agreements, foreign aid and other urgent legislation.
House Republicans as a group need “discipline and structure,” Miller said after the meeting, calling for Rep. Bob Good, R-Va., chair of the group, and other right-wing conservatives to be punished for rebelling. The Ohio lawmaker suggested removing them from their committee assignments or cutting off access to campaign fundraising.
“No one here is special. And I think everyone in Congress needs to hear a lot that sometimes they don’t matter. Because sometimes their egos are so big that they think the world is to themselves,” Miller told USA TODAY following the meeting.
Miller also accused top Republican leaders of bowing to the GOP rebels, questioning why Good was seemingly allowed more speaking time compared to other members
“I’m just gonna say it. Bob Good gets to the mic and he gets like five minutes when everyone else gets a minute, why?” Miller said. “It’s because for whatever reason,
I think people in leadership are afraid of him. Well I’m not and that’s why I called him out.”
However, Good told USA TODAY the notion he's given more time to speak “is silly” and remarked “good luck with having a majority” in Congress in response to Miller’s suggested punishments.
The House’s right flank has often drawn the ire of their fellow GOP lawmakers for their outsized leverage since Republicans took control of the lower chamber last year. That power is boosted by Republicans' razor-thin margin in the House.
