From 'legislative terrorists' to center of Trump's DC revolution: Where key conservative caucus is now

A small group of Republican lawmakers who did not feel their leaders were pushing a conservative enough agenda first began meeting in secret a decade ago, huddling in small rooms both inside and outside the U.S. Capitol, while closely guarding their membership for fear of punishment by top House GOP leaders.

Fast-forward to Thursday morning, and the House Freedom Caucus (HFC) was welcoming its members, top GOP donors, Trump administration officials and even Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., to an ornate room inside Washington, D.C.'s Willard Hotel to mark its decade anniversary and its first annual policy summit.

"It's a big celebration and an anniversary for them, and I want to be a part of it," Johnson told Fox News Digital just before addressing the group. "Some of my closest friends are in this room."

The caucus that former House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, once called "legislative terrorists" is now at the center of key Republican policy fights in Washington. And while they're still a source of frustration for many GOP lawmakers - who find the group to be disruptive to Republicans' agenda - HFC is hiding no more and has the ear of some of the most powerful people in D.C.

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"This was never our goal, you know, but we wanted to have an impact," Rep. Marlin Stutzman, R-Ind., a founding member of HFC who left Congress and returned in 2025, told Fox News Digital of the event at the Willard. "There's always a lot of agreement in the conference, like, 'Oh yeah, we would like to get there,' but… sometimes you kind of need the difficult people to help move it a little bit further to the right than what you thought you might be able to."

And rather than being a thorn in the side of Republican leaders, HFC is trying to work hand-in-hand with President Donald Trump to push for conservative policies.

They are not going against the grain any longer, House Freedom Caucus Chair Andy Harris, R-Md., told Fox News Digital.

"We're driving the grain," he said. "We work with the president to advance his agenda in the most conservative way possible, and we've been successful."

Border czar Tom Homan, who also addressed the event along with Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russell Vought, told Fox News Digital that HFC was key to advancing Trump's border agenda.

"They're on the right side," Homan said. "They want to secure the border because they know a secure border, a strong border, gives us strong national security… they want us to enforce the laws."

In late 2023, a group of HFC members were key to successfully pushing out a House speaker mid-congressional term for the first time in U.S. history.

They've also played significant roles in pushing Republican spending bills and the recent One Big, Beautiful Bill Act to the right - at least in the House.

Even in the middle of their two-day event on Thursday, some HFC members threatened to sink a GOP-led spending bill as a warning shot to House leaders to keep on a conservative path.

The approach has been seen as divisive for years, and this year is no different.

"They act as if they are the only principled conservatives in the conference. It's almost as if they would rather be in the minority," one House Republican, granted anonymity to speak freely, told Fox News Digital. "They love the attention they get when they hold out, only to fold in the end. It's why no one respects them."

Another GOP lawmaker said, in the context of current talks to avert a government shutdown, "The Freedom Caucus is not what it was two years ago or even four years ago. I don't know what you call them, but Andy Harris speaks for himself."

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"What is the goal of the Freedom Caucus? Is it to win? Is it to fold?" they asked. "I mean, have they lost their teeth? From an outside perspective, no, I still think they get heard."

Current HFC members brushed off the criticism.

"We're willing to negotiate with Donald Trump and the Senate to beat Democrats with the most conservative bill possible, so please keep assuming that we're dead, and please keep writing that obituary, because we're winning," HFC Policy Chair Chip Roy, R-Texas, told Fox News Digital.

Harris said of the critics, "If winning is folding, then I'll fold every time."

Indeed, the group does have the ear of the White House.

Former HFC Chair Scott Perry, R-Pa., who gave opening remarks during a portion of the summit exclusively viewed by Fox News Digital, revealed that White House aides attended the group's recent meeting with conservative senators.

"Last night, with representatives from the White House, we were asked, 'What is the plan?' I'm not exaggerating, this is your Freedom Caucus, the 'legislative terrorists' in the room where it happened," Perry told the audience.

But the group is expected to see some high-profile departures in the next congressional term: Roy is running for Texas attorney general, and Reps. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., and Byron Donalds, R-Fla., are both running for governor, among others.

Roy told Fox News Digital of the turnover, "We've had a conversation. We have things we want to do to help kind of make sure and ensure the longevity. Right now, we've got to make sure the good people are running. We have to make sure we continue to grow the ranks of the Freedom Caucus."

And newer members have signaled they're ready to fill the ranks of those left behind.

"Now that I've been here, and it's my third year, and I get comfortable with this, it gives me a lot more confidence to know what is the right path or what's the wrong path," said Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo., whose profile in HFC has risen in his short time in Congress. "And I think there's other members like me that are - as these guys step away, there's plenty of really talented members to step in their shoes."