Freedom Caucus takes key vote on Marjorie Taylor Greene’s future

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) speaks with an aide as she departs the U.S. Capitol June 6, 2023. | Francis Chung/POLITICO

House Freedom Caucus members took a momentous vote Friday on Marjorie Taylor Greene’s future with the group, according to three people familiar with the matter — but it’s not yet clear whether she’s been officially ejected.

The right-flank group took up Greene’s status amid an internal push, first reported by POLITICO, to consider purging members who are inactive or at odds with the Freedom Caucus. Greene’s close alliance with Speaker Kevin McCarthy, and her accompanying criticism of colleagues in the group, has put her on the opposite side of a bloc that made its name opposing GOP leadership.

While her formal status in the conservative group remains in limbo, the 8 a.m. Friday vote — which sources said ended with a consensus against her — points to, at least, continued strong anti-Greene sentiment.

A spokesperson for Freedom Caucus Chair Scott Perry (R-Pa.) declined to comment on the group’s vote as well as the official status of Greene’s membership. Perry said in an interview last week that he had denied requests to remove members from the group of roughly 35 House Republicans. A spokesperson for Greene did not respond to a request for comment.

The uncertainty that now shrouds Greene’s status is partly due to the tightly held bylaws that govern official Freedom Caucus decisions. Even before the Greene vote, members questioned whether the group’s rule that 80 percent of the Freedom Caucus must support any formal decision applies to all matters — or just legislation.

Interviews for this story reflected lingering interest in trying to reconcile differences with Greene before any formal action is taken, and a suggestion that the chair or board could separately intervene to slow down any removal.

Discussions about Greene’s Freedom Caucus status were simmering for weeks, and the Friday vote occurred shortly after a high-profile clash between her and Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.), a member of the conservative group’s board.

Greene confronted Boebert on the House floor, calling the Coloradan “a little bitch” and claiming Boebert copied her on a measure aimed at quickly impeaching President Joe Biden. After the exchange was first reported in The Daily Beast, Greene confirmed the fight and doubled down, adding another pejorative.

Should Greene ultimately exit the Freedom Caucus, it is likely to trigger a greater feud within the House GOP as conservatives wrestle over how closely to work with their own party leaders. McCarthy’s team is still struggling to quell an ongoing rebellion propelled by Freedom Caucus members.

The public cracks in Greene’s relationships with her fellow conservatives also come as the House’s right flank continues to debate when to abandon party unity to advance its ideological goals.

Former Rep. Justin Amash (I-Mich.) is the closest example of the Freedom Caucus previously weighing whether to remain open to a member who no longer aligned with the rest of the group. Amash, who had called for then-President Donald Trump to be impeached before leaving the GOP, resigned before the Freedom Caucus acted further — saying he didn’t want to be a “distraction.”