EXCLUSIVE: New Home Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Harris, R-Md., needs to deal with two key points for the rest of this 12 months – authorities funding and subsequent 12 months’s Home GOP Convention guidelines.
“I’ve been on the Freedom Caucus, really, since, since the beginning,” Harris instructed Fox Information Digital on Tuesday night time, in his first interview since being elected chair of the ultra-conservative group.
“I’ve watched, you know, all our chairs do a great job pushing the conservative agenda with Congress, and with the American people. And right now our big fight is going to be on controlling spending. It’s going to be on what the rules look like for the next Congress.”
Harris promised, “I’m going to roll up my sleeves and battle those two issues.”
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Rep. Andy Harris has been chosen the subsequent Home Freedom Caucus chair (Getty Photos)
The Maryland Republican, who was first elected in 2010, was chosen to guide the Freedom Caucus for the rest of the 12 months after Rep. Bob Good, R-Va., vacated the function following his June main loss to a different Republican.
Harris has not been identified to be significantly chatty with reporters on Capitol Hill, making him an comprehensible successor for a gaggle that retains even its membership record undisclosed.
The Freedom Caucus has additionally lengthy been seen as a thorn within the aspect of Home GOP leaders, pushing them to go additional in pushing conservative insurance policies by means of Congress.
Harris, nevertheless, praised Speaker Mike Johnson’s management on authorities funding forward of a Wednesday vote on a Freedom Caucus-backed plan to keep away from a authorities shutdown.
The plan is a six-month extension of this 12 months’s federal funds often known as a unbroken decision (CR), to present lawmakers extra time to hash out fiscal 12 months 2025’s priorities, paired with a measure requiring proof of citizenship within the voter registration course of.
Rep. Bob Good not too long ago stepped other than the chairmanship (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Photos)
“The leadership he’s shown on this issue is excellent,” Harris stated. “I think if we had had this discussion one month ago and someone suggested that Speaker Johnson was going to bring a six-month CR to the floor, and, oh, by the way, we add the [Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act] into it – most people wouldn’t believe it.”
However the Democrat-controlled Senate and White Home have referred to as the laws a nonstarter.
Harris wouldn’t say how conservatives may drive Johnson to stay by the plan, at the same time as a number of Republicans have publicly opposed the measure over considerations the speaker wouldn’t combat for the SAVE Act if it was rejected by the Senate.
“If it fails, we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it,” he stated.
Harris did, nevertheless, urge these GOP critics to take a “second look” on the invoice forward of Wednesday’s vote.
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“I hope they take a second look before tomorrow and realize that the important signal would send to the American people,” Harris stated. “I’d love to hear the argument Chuck Schumer is going to make to say, ‘Yeah, you know, we’re going to reject that because we want illegal aliens to vote.’”
The Maryland Republican equally wouldn’t go into element about what adjustments he would wish to see to the Home GOP Convention guidelines – although the problem is predicted to take heart stage within the end-of-year management elections.
Harris praised Speaker Mike Johnson’s management within the authorities funding combat (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Name, Inc by way of Getty Photos)
Ex-Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., agreed to altering sure convention guidelines to win over his critics after Home Republicans gained the bulk within the 2022 midterm elections.
That notably included reducing the edge for triggering a vote on the speaker’s ouster – referred to as the movement to vacate the chair – from a easy majority to only one vote.
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“I hope that in its wisdom, that the Republican majority next year – because I believe there will be a Republican majority – not only adopts and endorses all those changes we made this term, but maybe make some further changes. Those will be discussed more obviously in the next two months.”
When pressed for particulars, Harris famous there have been different members of the group in addition to himself.
“That’s going to be up to what the Freedom Caucus says,” Harris stated. “I’m the chairman, but I’m not all the members.”
