'Biggest problem children': Trump allies worry GOP faction could become thorn in side

When a new Congress was seated on Friday, Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA) feared he would lose the House speaker position. Some members of the far-right House Freedom Caucus would not commit to voting for him.

Johnson, however, was confirmed on the first vote. House Republicans, except for Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), voted to make him speaker again. But the Freedom Caucus was a major concern for Johnson and his allies — even after President-elect Donald Trump endorsed him.

In an article published Monday, Punchbowl News reported that there is a "question kicking around GOP circles: Will the ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus (HFC) be the president-elect’s biggest supporters or his biggest problem children?"

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"To be clear," Punchbowl reported, "the HFC is home to some of the Trumpiest members in Washington. Hardline conservatives were only willing to back Mike Johnson for speaker — who they still have reservations about — out of deference to Trump. It took a phone call from the incoming president to flip the remaining two Freedom Caucus holdouts, Reps. Ralph Norman (R-SC) and Keith Self (R-TX), into Johnson's column."

Punchbowl continued, "Trump should be able to count on the conservative crew to fall in line on nearly all issues. Yet the HFC, which built its brand on being a thorn in the side of House GOP leaders, has also been willing to defy Trump at times. For instance, 38 Republicans, many of them Freedom Caucus members, voted against a Trump-endorsed CR in December that would have also lifted the debt limit because it lacked spending cuts."

Founded in 2015 when then-Rep. John Boehner (R-OH) was speaker, the House Freedom Caucus has often clashed with both Republican and Democratic speakers — from former Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) to Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA).

"At some point, the HFC's allegiance to Trump will likely conflict with the group's core ethos of fiscal responsibility," Punchbowl reported. "But with one big reconciliation package containing a host of border, tax and energy provisions, the general thinking is that it'll be difficult for any single member to block it."

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Punchbowl continued, "For his part, Trump has shown an early interest in being incredibly hands-on with Capitol Hill Republicans. This will be a dynamic to watch in the coming days and months. In addition to having one-on-one calls with everyone from leadership to rank-and-file members, Trump has also summoned key factions to Mar-a-Lago this weekend to get everyone on the same page. Notably, the House Freedom Caucus will be up first."

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Read Punchbowl News' full article at this link.