Mike Johnson facing new headaches as Freedom Caucus weighs retribution

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19 January 2024

The House Freedom Caucus is about to make life even harder for House speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA).

The hard-right legislative caucus might start hijacking GOP messaging bills to retaliate against the recently elevated speaker for the sin of pursuing bipartisan deals to pass government funding bills, multiple members of the group told Axios.

"If they don't want or need our votes for the material legislation that impacts the country or the large spending packages," said Freedom Caucus chair Bob Good (R-VA), "you shouldn't presume that you have our votes for the messaging bills that will go nowhere in the Senate."

Rep. Eric Burlison (R-MO) said members made their threat in a meeting Thursday with Johnson, who refused their demands to add a GOP bill on border security onto the stopgap funding bill.

"We gave him a simple path," Burlison said. "Put the most popular bill that passed out of this chamber as an amendment on the [continuing resolution] ... If the speaker isn't going to take some of those reasonable, conservative asks, then why are we going to continue this charade."

Rep. Michael Cloud (R-TX) told Axios he "wouldn't be surprised" if Freedom Caucus members undermine votes when the House returns to session later this month, and caucus ally Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN) said he's been hearing chatter about retribution.

"It could [happen]," Burchett said. "There's a lot of frustration, 8 million people over the border in three years."

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