Justin Amash and eight colleagues hope to invite about 30 lawmakers to their group. 9 Republicans launch House Freedom Caucus

Nine Republicans officially launched a new caucus Monday to advocate for conservative legislation in the House.

Founded by some of most hard-line GOP lawmakers, the House Freedom Caucus will lobby for bills that would limit the size of the government.


“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,” the caucus’s mission statement reads.

The founding members include Republican Reps. Scott Garrett of New Jersey, Jim Jordan of Ohio, John Fleming of Louisiana, Matt Salmon of Arizona, Justin Amash of Michigan, Raúl Labrador of Idaho, Mick Mulvaney of South Carolina, Ron DeSantis of Florida and Mark Meadows of North Carolina.

The group will serve as a policy alternative to the Republican Study Committee, the decades-old conservative group that lobbies GOP leadership to push legislation rightward. While some of the Freedom Caucus members will leave the RSC, which has been criticized by some members for growing too large, lawmakers are able to be active members of both groups.

The Freedom Caucus will be an invite-only group, and members involved with the planning said they will invite around 30 lawmakers to join. If the caucus can boast a 29-person membership, it would be in a position to block Republican legislation that members don’t support.