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We’ve talked before about the House Freedom Caucus and how the ragtag group of conservatives likes to get their hands dirty. At the center of all negotiations — and, more often the case, pleas to get on board — the group has established a reputation for being a force to be reckoned with.
For nearly every big piece of legislation this year, members of the group have threatened to tank some of President Donald Trump’s most consequential agenda items if they didn’t secure policy promises they deemed important.
Each time, Freedom Caucus members got Trump’s attention. They were put on the phone directly with the president, they met with Trump in the White House, and they stalled votes on the House floor for hours.
And each time, they ended up folding to the president’s demands. But it was never without getting something in return — and that’s how they’ve solidified themselves as a core group on Capitol Hill.
All that is destined to change.
Five of the most well-known members have announced they won’t run for reelection and instead will pursue other offices. And it raises questions about what the group may look like come 2027.
For example, Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, announced this week he would run for Texas attorney general, leaving Congress and the House Freedom Caucus behind. Roy has long been a fixture of the caucus and has been at the center of the group’s activities for years.
In every battle the caucus has waged this year, Roy has been in the middle of it. He’s continually threatened to oppose key legislation — and it’s gotten on Trump’s nerves in the past. (So much so that Trump actually called for someone to primary Roy in the 2024 elections.)
Also in the exit wing is Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., who has stood right beside Roy in all his endeavors over the last few years. Norman announced earlier this summer he’ll run for South Carolina governor, leaving another hole of influence in the group.
When I asked Norman about his exit, he compared it to “putting your hand (or) finger in a bucket of water. When you take it out, it fills up.”
Southern translation: Someone will always come to fill the void. It may take time, he admitted, but he said he’d use his position as governor, if elected, to recruit more Freedom Caucus members to serve in Congress.
“There’s some good people coming in that I think will learn the ropes pretty easy,” he told me. “The biggest thing they have to have is courage. And the people we have that are in there have courage, and people coming up, I think will have courage.”
Other members planning a departure include Reps. Andy Biggs, who will run for governor in Arizona, Barry Moore, who is running for Senate in Alabama, and Byron Donalds, who is running for governor in Florida.
But the group itself doesn’t seem concerned with the resignations. In fact, a spokeswoman for the group gave me a message similar to Norman’s: We’ll fill the gap.
This is what she told me: “For nearly a decade, HFC has led the charge for limited government, fiscal sanity, and constitutional conservatism. Our departing members have done tremendous work advancing conservative priorities on Capitol Hill — and now, they’ll carry that fight into leadership roles across the country, strengthening the movement in new arenas.
“At the same time, we have many rising stars within the HFC ready to take up the mantle and continue driving the conservative agenda forward,” she added. “While faces may change, our principles remain the same and will continue to echo through each legislative battle and every hard-won victory on Capitol Hill.”
But before they make their grand exits, these House Freedom Caucus members still have plenty of opportunities to shake things up. Beginning with the government shutdown fight starting next week.
Stories Driving the Week
- Map mayhem: National Democrats are turning their attention to Utah after a district judge ordered state lawmakers to redraw the Utah’s congressional map, possibly thrusting the Beehive State into the national redistricting war ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
- D.C. drama: Republican leaders in Congress are launching an investigation into whether top police officials in Washington, D.C., engaged in a cover-up of crime statistics to make it seem as if illegal activity in the capital city was decreasing over the last three years.
- Firing frenzy: President Donald Trump on Monday said he would be taking an unprecedented move to remove Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook from her position — sparking concerns about the independence of the Federal Reserve and setting the stage for a legal battle.
Government shutdown fight incoming
Congress returns on Monday, and they’ll be jumping right into the deep end with government funding business.
Here’s the lay of the land.
Every year, Congress must pass its 12 appropriations bills, which allocate money for federal agencies and departments. The deadline is Oct. 1 at midnight, after which current funding will lapse and the government will enter a temporary shutdown.
There are different ways lawmakers could address this.
The first way, to no surprise, is to pass the 12 appropriations bills. Since taking control of the House in 2023, Republicans have insisted they want to pass the bills one by one as part of the process. They say it provides more transparency and avoids what is known as an “omnibus” — which is when lawmakers package all the individual bills together in one piece of legislation that is thousands of pages long.
However, that is far easier said than done. Let’s check in on where the House and Senate are at when it comes to passing those bills.
The Senate has passed three of its 12 bills. Of the remaining nine bills, the Senate has five that have passed through committee, meaning they’d be ready for a floor vote when senators return.
The House has passed two of its 12 bills. Of the remaining 10, seven are ready for floor action.
But remember: Each bill that is passed in the House must go to the Senate for approval and vice versa. So even when they do get all 12 passed, leaders in both chambers will have to come together and negotiate a combined version. For. Each. Appropriation. Bill.
So, yeah. That could take a while.
Another option is to pass what is known as a continuing resolution, which extends current government funding until a later date. We usually see those every year to buy lawmakers a little more time to conclude spending talks and get a deal across the finish line.
How long that CR will last is unclear. Typically it goes until the end of December, putting lawmakers into crunch time right before Christmas. Other times, as is the case right now, they just extend it until the next fiscal year deadline (which some fiscal conservatives want to do).
We’ll see what GOP leaders want to do. Ultimately, it’ll be up to them — although whatever they do, they’ll need at least seven Democrats in the Senate to help them out.
Stay tuned!
Quick Hits
From the Hill: What are the earmarks Utah’s congressional delegation asked for? … Trump attacks GOP senators over support of blue slips. … Mike Lee warns against independent map-drawing commissions.
From the White House: Trump pushes to rename Defense Department to ‘Department of War.’ … Trump criticizes Utah redistricting ruling as unconstitutional. … FDA issues new COVID-19 vaccine guidance.
From the courts: Judge strikes down Utah’s congressional maps. … 10th Circuit Court rules for Latter-day Saints in tithing, fraud case. … Church begins work at Heber Valley Utah Temple site as opponents appeal to Utah Supreme Court.
What’s next
The House and Senate are back next week! I’ll be back to chasing members down hallways and getting the latest on all the drama and fun. Utah could be at the center of some conversations with its new maps expected next month — more on that later.
As always, feel free to reach out to me by email with story ideas or questions you have for lawmakers. And follow me on X for breaking news and timely developments from the Hill.