Marjorie Taylor Greene Removed from Freedom Caucus

A member of the House Freedom Caucus, Representative Andy Harris (R-MD), told Politico Thursday that Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) was voted out of the caucus.

“A vote was taken to remove Marjorie Taylor Greene from the House Freedom Caucus for some of the things she’s done,” said Harris. He relayed that the vote was successful and that consequently “[a]s far as I know, that is the way it is [that she is now formally out of the group].”

Representative Harris said that the move was primarily based on Greene’s behavior toward a fellow caucus member, Representative Lauren Boebert (R-CO). He said, “I think the way she referred to a fellow member was probably not the way we expect our members to refer to other fellow, especially female, members.” Greene reportedly called Boebert a “little bitch” during a heated exchange. Harris also did not deny that other factors played into her booting.

He said “I think all of that mattered” with respect to her breaking from the caucus over the debt deal agreement between McCarthy and Biden through supporting it. Harris added that “I think the straw that broke the camel’s back was publicly saying things about another member in terms that no one should.” As Greene is no longer a member of the caucus the consequence will be that she can no longer attend its meetings.

The debt deal struggle was one in which the Freedom Caucus took a stand against the Speaker-President deal. One member even called the deal “insanity.” The deal ultimately passed both chambers of Congress. Representative Greene at the time said of the agreement that “it isn’t perfect- there is a lot of things I don’t like in it but we did cut spending; we are saving the American people money…” and that ultimately she voted in its favor.

NPR Politics observed that the Georgia Congresswoman’s break from her faction toward House Speaker Kevin McCarthy came “with immediate benefits” and she was now being recommended to “join the Homeland Security committee.”

The vote by the House Freedom Caucus is nevertheless historic as Business Insider reveals that this is the first time a member has been formally voted out of the faction. Former Representative Justin Amash (R-MI), who co-founded the conservative group, resigned from it after his tirade against former President Trump during his first impeachment process.

Time will tell how this vote will play out with the broader American electorate or in the annals of American politics. Much depends on the fortunes of the House Freedom Caucus and on the fortunes of Majorie Taylor Greene.