“I am only 19 years old, but I don’t remember a point in my life since I have been a cognizant, politically involved person that Congress has not been gridlocked,” said Grace Lorey, a sophomore political science major.
Gen Z is coming of age in an era of unprecedented political polarization when egregious insults yelled across the House floor are the norm. Consistently, Americans refer back to the so-called “golden age” of Congress, when politicians passed bipartisan bills, cooperated across party lines and collaborated in pursuit of a better America — so what changed? It can largely be traced back to one thing: the Tea Party movement of the early 2000s.
The Tea Party emerged in February 2009 following the financial collapse and the election of Former President Barack Obama. The movement first emerged when Rick Santelli, a CNBC commentator, suggested a response akin to the Boston Tea Party to contest Obama’s mortgage relief plan. Following Santelli’s comments, the five-minute clip blew up online and by 2010, 18% of Americans identified themselves as Tea Party supporters — most of whom were Republican, white, male, married and older than 45.
In April 2010, the New York Times and CBS News conducted a poll to learn more about the specific beliefs of Americans who identified as Tea Party supporters. They found that supporters were generally anti-illegal immigration, pro-gun, anti-abortion, pro-small government and anti-gay marriage, and did not find climate change to be a pressing issue.
91% of Tea Party supporters disapproved of the way Obama was handling the economy, 93% disapproved of the way he was handling health care and 96% disapproved of the way Congress was handling their jobs. 73% said Obama did not understand the needs and problems of people like themselves, and 75% said he did not share the values of most Americans.
The Tea Party dissolved after the 2012 election as they felt a swell in membership had diluted their ideology. Thus, followers turned to veterans of the movement and extreme political players like Donald Trump for leadership, many of whom would eventually join the House Freedom Caucus following its founding in 2015.
The Freedom Caucus was formed by nine members of Congress, including Florida Governor and 2024 presidential candidate Ron DeSantis.
Its mission statement reads, “The House Freedom Caucus gives a voice to countless Americans who feel that Washington does not represent them. We support open, accountable, and limited government, the Constitution and the rule of law, and policies that promote the liberty, safety and prosperity of all Americans.”
Although many were supporters of former President Trump, he originally did not encourage this faction.
“The Freedom Caucus will hurt the entire Republican agenda if they don’t get on the team, & fast. We must fight them, & Dems, in 2018!” Trump tweeted in 2017.
The Freedom Caucus is notorious for pushing back against Republican leaders they believe are not acting conservatively enough.
Notably, Freedom Caucus members forced Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy out of office this October after he negotiated with Democrats to avoid a government shutdown. After less than a year in the role, McCarthy became the first Speaker to be removed from office by a House vote.
To maintain the staunch beliefs of the organization, membership is by invitation only and meetings are not public. For the Freedom Caucus to declare an official position on any given issue, 80% of the caucus must support the motion.
Although they do not disclose membership, the Pew Research Center has identified 49 House members who belong to or are closely aligned with the Freedom Caucus today. From this research, they were able to conclude that, like the Tea Party, members of the Freedom Caucus are among the most conservative of House Republicans, with many falling on the far right end of the political spectrum.
This ultra-conservative movement has resulted in congressional gridlock due to an unwillingness to compromise, dating back to the early years of the Tea Party movement. This extremism and inability to negotiate is a detriment to Congress as a whole but also hurts the Freedom Caucus itself. The climate of the organization is so unproductive that it has even forced founding members like Texas Representative Ted Poe to resign from the group.
Poe described his opposition to how the group handled negotiations, telling Fox and Friends that, “Sometimes you’re going to have to say yes.”
The Freedom Caucus remains a formidable force in the House following the contentious election of Speaker Mike Johnson, and the pack will continue to make waves in the House Chamber as America hurdles towards the 2024 election.