House Freedom Caucus Elects Rep. Andy Biggs as New Chairman
The House Freedom Caucus announced Tuesday that Rep. Andy Biggs of Arizona had been elected the group’s new chairman.
He will replace current outgoing chair Rep. Mark Meadows of North Carolina, who will step down on Oct. 1.
“I’m grateful for the trust of my colleagues in selecting me to serve as the next chairman of the House Freedom Caucus,” Biggs said in a statement. “Freedom Caucus members have shown that they will stand for principle over politics — every time.
“We must fight against increased government spending and for a balanced budget. We must fight for border security and the elimination of all loopholes that incentivize illegal entry into this nation.”
Biggs also promised the group “will stand with President Trump as he keeps his promises to the American people.”
Meadows, who was first elected chair in December 2016 and re-elected to a second term in January, expressed confidence in Biggs’ ability to take up the post.
“I’ve been honored and humbled to serve as chairman of the Freedom Caucus for the last two and a half years, and I can’t think of a better person to pass the torch to than Andy Biggs,” Meadows said in a statement posted to the Freedom Caucus’ Twitter page.
“Rep. Biggs is an outstanding public servant, a strong conservative, and a steady voice with the right experience to build on the tremendous strides our caucus has made since 2015 in fighting for open, limited, and accountable government. He’ll be a phenomenal leader for our group.”
The Freedom Caucus’ signature issue has been controlling government spending. The caucus regularly opposed funding bills supported by former Republican House speakers John Boehner and Paul Ryan because the legislation did not do enough to address the nation’s deficit spending.
The group’s ability to impact legislation has been curtailed under Democratic leadership in the current Congress because the conservative Republicans’ votes are not needed to pass bills brought to the floor.
However, if Republicans take back control in 2020, the caucus may once again play a decisive role.
According to Ballotpedia, the Freedom Caucus does not have an official membership list but is believed to be about 30 members strong.
Some known caucus members have included Reps. Russ Fulcher of Idaho, Scott Perry of Pennsylvania, Matt Gaetz of Florida, Chip Roy and Louie Gohmert of Texas, David Schweikert and Paul Gosar of Arizona, and Jim Jordan of Ohio.
Jordan, the founding chairman of the Freedom Caucus at its inception in 2015, continues to serve as chairman emeritus.
“Representative Biggs is a leader,” he said in a statement. “He will do a great job as chairman of the Freedom Caucus, fighting for the countless number of Americans who feel this town has forgotten them.”
Biggs is currently in his second term representing Arizona’s 5th congressional district in the Phoenix metropolitan area.
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