These Republicans want to punish conservative rebels as tensions erupt in the House USA TODAY'S

 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

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.