With Donald Trump now officially running for President again in 2024, the “old guard” of the Republican Party appears to be bracing themselves against another surge of the MAGA Movement, and it has some congressional Republicans bristling.
The 2022 midterms have provided the GOP with a slight advantage in the House of Republicans, and party leadership is currently beginning to organize the coming committees.
The makeup of these all-important groups has some within the Freedom Caucus feeling a bit slighted.
The Freedom Caucus is pushing for the Republican leader to hand more power to his caucus, demanding stronger roles for House committee chairs in exchange for backing Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy for speaker.
The conservative House Freedom Caucus, which boasts more than 40 members, is proposing a wide array of changes to House rules ahead of a floor vote in January on McCarthy’s speakership bid. The conservative lawmakers want to gut the speaker’s ability to appoint committee chairmen, instead allowing a panel’s individual members to vote on the position.
The pushback was immediate.
“Each member of Congress has earned and deserves equal participation in the legislative process,” said Rep. Matt Rosendale, a Montana Republican.
Leadership allies say the process is open and fair and ensures no single person has total control. Critics say that McCarthy and other top Republicans dominate the panel, rewarding supporters and punishing members likely to buck leadership.
As proof, members of the Freedom Caucus cite that several of their members have been left off of committees that would appear to be a natural fit.
“Committees should have people on them that have experience in that field,” said Rep. Diana Harshbarger, R-Tenn. “That’s just common sense to me.”
This is just the latest evidence of trouble brewing within the Republican Party, but Trump’s entry back into the national political spotlight will likely make it difficult for the status quo to bully the MAGA Movement.
