Who Are the Members of the House Freedom Caucus?

President Donald Trump addresses a joint session of the U.S. Congress on February 28, 2017 in the House chamber of  the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC. (Getty)

The House Freedom Caucus is at the center of the debate surrounding the American Health Care Act.

This group of conservative representatives have voiced objections to the health care replacement, arguing that it does not go far enough in repealing Obamacare. On Twitter on Friday, Trump put pressure on the group, saying that they may be the ones to blame for the American Health Care Act failing.

So who are the members of the House Freedom Caucus, exactly? Here’s a look at the group.


Mark Meadows – Mark Meadows of North Carolina is the chair of the House Freedom Caucus. He was elected during the 2012 election, and in 2015, The Washington Post called him the “Donald Trump of the House of Representatives.” He has been negotiating with the White House on the American Health Care Act but says that a deal has not yet been reached.

Justin Amash – Justin Amash of Michigan has been a member of the House of Representatives since 2011. He was opposed to Donald Trump during the 2016 election, and he has continued to criticize Trump since after the inauguration, especially being critical of Trump’s executive order suspending immigration from several Muslim-majority countries. Amash said in a statement in January, “It’s not lawful to ban immigrants on the basis of nationality. If the president wants to change immigration law, he must work with Congress.”

Brian Babin – Brian Babin of Texas was elected in 2014. He has been a vocal critic of the Affordable Care Act and endorsed Ted Cruz during the 2016 election.

Rod Blum – Rod Blum of Iowa was elected in 2014. He was an early Trump supporter, saying in July 2015, shortly after Trump launched his campaign, that Trump “gives people that sense of pride again.” He supported President Donald Trump’s travel ban.

Dave Brat – Dave Brat has represented Virginia since 2014. Brat expressed support for Donald Trump back in 2015, but he did not officially offer his endorsement until after Trump earned the Republican nomination.

Jim Bridenstine – Jim Bridenstine has represented Oklahoma since 2013. He campaigned for Ted Cruz during the 2016 election but supported Donald Trump once Trump earned the nomination.

Mo Brooks – Mo Brooks of Alabama was elected in 2012. He gave Trump a halfhearted endorsement in October 2016, telling AL.com, “I’m going to vote for all the Republicans on the ballot.”

Ken Buck – Ken Buck of Colorado was elected in 2014. He criticized Trump during the presidential campaign after Trump called for a ban on Muslims, saying that Trump is a “fraud’ and that “Trump’s proposal (to ban all Muslims) violates the Constitution, the values of our nation, the Republican Party platform, and my conscience,” according to The Huffington Post.

Warren Davidson – Warren Davidson of Ohio was elected during the 2015 election. On FiveThirtyEight’s tracker of how often politicians agree with Donald Trump, Davidson has agreed with Trump 100 percent of the time since January.

Ron DeSantis – Ron DeSantis of Florida was elected in 2012. In May 2016, DeSantis called on the GOP to unite around Donald Trump, according to Florida Politics.

Scott DesJarlais – Scott DesJarlais of Tennessee was elected in 2010. He endorsed Donald Trump in March 2016.“ While there are certainly things that I admire and respect in each of the remaining candidates, I believe Donald Trump is the candidate best poised to make America great again,” DesJarlais said at the time. “As such, I was proud to cast my vote for Mr. Trump and look forward to supporting the eventual Republican nominee whomever that might be.”

Jeff Duncan – Jeff Duncan of South Carolina was elected during the 2010 election. He was one of the first elected officials in the country to endorse Donald Trump for president.

Trent Franks – Trent Franks of Arizona was elected during the 2002 election. Franks was somewhat critical of Donald Trump throughout the early days of the election, mainly because he was not sure Trump could beat Hillary Clinton. However, Franks eventually supported Trump. “Jesus is not on the ballot. We always need to choose between two flawed people,” Franks said in May 2016.

Tom Garrett Jr. – Tom Garrett Jr. was elected to represent Virginia during the 2016 election. After the leaked tape on which Donald Trump brags about sexually assaulting women, Garret condemned the comments but said he would continue to support Trump. “You got to choose between two very flawed candidates for who you think will be best for the future. We certainly think the Republican vision is the stronger vision,” he said, according to The Daily Progress.

Paul Gosar – Paul Gosar has been representing Arizona since 2011. He endorsed Donald Trump for president in July 2016. “Donald Trump has pledged to be a strong defender of the Second Amendment and to appoint conservatives to the Supreme Court,” he said in a statement at the time. “I wholeheartedly support Donald Trump and his vision to make America great again.”

Morgan Griffith – Morgan Griffith of Virginia was elected in 2010. He supported Donald Trump after Trump became the Republican party’s presumptive nominee.

Andy Harris – Andy Harris of Maryland was elected in 2010. He supported Trump after Trump became the Republican party’s nominee, but he condemned Trump’s comments on the leaked Access Hollywood tape in October.

Jody Hice – Jody Hice was elected to represent Georgia in the 2014 election. He said very little about Donald Trump during the 2016 election. In March, Hice said that the Obamacare repeal vote was delayed because very few people thought Trump would win.

Jim Jordan – Jim Jordan of Ohio is the founder of the House Freedom Caucus. In May 2016, he said that he enthusiastically supports Trump.

Raúl Labrador – Raúl Labrador of Idaho assumed office in January 2011. He reluctantly supported Trump for president but condemned much of his rhetoric, such as when Trump said that a judge could not fairly judge a case due to his Mexican heritage. “I will not stand idly by listening to a person attacking the integrity of a judge because of their ethnicity,” Labrador said. “That is absolutely morally abhorrent.”

Alex Mooney – Alex Mooney of West Virginia was elected during the 2014 election. He supported Donald Trump, including after the Access Hollywood tape in October. “I look at the issues. Hillary Clinton has plenty of problems too with her past and her emails,” he said. “Looking at the two candidates—one I think is good for West Virginia and one is not good for West Virginia.”

Gary Palmer – Gary Palmer of Alabama was elected in 2014. He supported Donald Trump during the election, though he said that Trump was a flawed candidate. “Let me be clear, we are looking at two very imperfect candidates, but supporting the Republican nominee – Donald Trump – over the Democratic nominee – Hillary Clinton – is not a difficult choice,” he said.

Steve Pearce – Steve Pearce of New Mexico was elected in 2010. He supported Donald Trump during the election but denounced many of his statements. Recently, he said that Trump’s travel ban was poorly executed.

Scott Perry – Scott Perry has represented Pennsylvania since 2013. He supported Donald Trump during the election but said that Trump’s Access Hollywood tape comments were “reprehensible and indefensible.”

Ted Poe – Ted Poe has represented Texas since 2005. He did not offer a public endorsement of Donald Trump during the 2016 election, but he did say, “Trump, a businessman, wants to run the country like a business in the sense that people get back to work. … Millions of Americans have given up on the American Dream and quit looking for work and Trump can do that.”

Bill Posey– Bill Posey has represented Florida since 2009. He supported Trump for president but said after the Access Hollywood comments, “The things Trump said 11 years ago are appalling. It’s appropriate that he apologized. I support him because he realizes who his enemies are and can protect the country, help turn this economy around and get America headed back in the right direction.”

Mark Sanford – Mark Sanford of South Carolina has served in the House of Representatives since 1995. He has been a vocal critic of Donald Trump, saying in February 2017 that Trump “has fanned the flames of intolerance,” according to The Washington Post.

David Schweikert – David Schweikert has represented Arizona since 2011. He supported Ted Cruz for president but backed Donald Trump after Trump became the nominee, saying that he is “ethically obligated” to vote for a Republican for president.

Randy Weber – Randy Weber has represented Texas since 2013. He did not publicly support Donald Trump during the election.

Ted Yoho – Ted Yoho has represented Florida since 2013. He formally endorsed Donald Trump in June 2016.“When an outsider like Mr. Trump wins against all odds and against the political establishment machine, it exemplifies his political savvy and business acumen,” Yoho said. “Americans roots and love to see the underdog given a chance and eventually win.”