Where Does MAGA's Most Powerful Faction Go From Here?

A series of recent roadblocks has raised questions about the influence of the Hill's most MAGA faction and whether its power could be stymied by those setbacks.

The House Freedom Caucus is widely considered the Republican conference's hard-right flank. Since its founding in 2015, the bloc has remained much of a mystery to the general public. It does not disclose the names of its members and membership is by invitation only, although many of those members have identified themselves, and include high-profile figures like Representative Jim Jordan, who was the first chairperson of the caucus.

When Jordan nearly won the gavel last month, many anticipated that a Jordan speakership would mark the culmination of a yearslong effort by the House GOP's ultraconservatives to wield more power on the Hill and signal the accession of former President Donald Trump's MAGA movement within Congress. But Jordan's bid failed, more than once, suggesting that even Republican lawmakers were not prepared to hand conservative hardliners more power.

Then, Representative Ken Buck announced Wednesday that he would not seek reelection, citing his concerns of the GOP's election denialism and "inability in Congress to deal with major issues." Buck's departure will mean the membership of the Freedom Caucus will shrink yet again. Representatives Debbie Lesko and Alex Mooney have also announced that they will not seek reelection, with Lesko retiring at the end of the 118th Congress and Mooney running for Senate.

The caucus already dropped in size over the summer when members decided to oust Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene over her attacks on her Republican colleagues. Although Greene was forced out, her absence means the caucus is without another member, and one of the most influential members of Congress, nonetheless.

Many had cast doubt over Greene's office when the rising MAGA star was first elected in 2020, but she quickly became a fundraising powerhouse and amassed an enormous social media following. Now that she's no longer a member of the Freedom Caucus, it begs the question whether the most powerful conservative voices of Congress still come from the enigmatic group.

The uncertain fate before the caucus also comes as other right-wing voices have emerged as key players within the GOP conference. Even though some Freedom Caucus members threatened to remove then-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy from his post, it was ultimately Representative Matt Gaetz who forced the motion to vacate. And despite Jordan's reputation, newly elected Speaker Mike Johnson's ultraconservative record has been described as his critics as being even more aligned with the MAGA movement than Jordan's. Neither Gaetz nor Johnson are members of the caucus.

The bloc could continue to hold onto its "disproportionate influence" given the Republican's razor-thin majority in the House, which could still give them "significant ability to pull House legislative decisions to the right," GOP strategist Matt Klink told Newsweek.

The bloc appears unconcerned about whether another conservative caucus could overtake it as the most influential MAGA faction. A caucus spokesperson told Newsweek that there have always been right-wing voices outside of the group, and noted that even though Jordan helps lead the coalition, the caucus itself did not endorse anyone for the speaker's race.

Klink said that as long as support for Trump remains strong among both the Freedom Caucus and other House Republicans, the caucus will continue as a leading group on the Hill. He said that its members' influence is also buttressed by powerful chairmanships, like Jordan's role on the House Judiciary Committee, so that even amid the recent leadership setbacks, caucus members will continue commanding legislative priorities.

"Additionally, many of the Freedom Caucus' priorities have widespread GOP support, such as a return to regular order, an open legislative process by allowing amendments on the House floor and an end to the thousand page-plus Omnibus spending bills that have usurped the appropriations process," Klink said.