Bob Good outlines vision to promote ‘conservative conscience’ as new Freedom Caucus leader

EXCLUSIVE — Rep. Bob Good (R-VA) previewed how the conservative House Freedom Caucus will continue to be a thorn in the side of leadership by demanding spending cuts, policy reforms, and accountability ahead of major legislative fights in 2024.

Elected by his peers Monday evening, Good will assume the caucus chairmanship on Jan. 1, succeeding Rep. Scott Perry (R-PA), who has held the position since 2022. The Virginia Republican has served on the board of the Freedom Caucus for the last two years but will now experience a heightened level of political power among the House GOP, just as lawmakers return to Washington, D.C., after the holidays with a hefty to-do list.

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“I don’t know that you’ll see dramatic change from the battles that we’ve been fighting over the three years that I’ve been here,” Good told the Washington Examiner in an interview following his Monday election. “I think the Freedom Caucus will continue to be the conservative conscience of the Republican majority. We will continue to be leaders in fighting to reduce our spending to secure our border and to protect our constitutional freedoms.”

Good laid out a number of his top priorities heading into the next year, noting voters can expect hard-line members of the conservative caucus to “derail” the National Defense Authorization Act set to be voted on as early as this week.

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Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) agreed with Senate Democrats to advance a bipartisan compromise NDAA bill last week, angering hard-line conservatives in the House who saw several of their amendments stripped from the final language.

Johnson has also decided to consider the legislation under suspension of rules, which would require a higher vote threshold to pass but would avoid allowing House Republicans to block it from consideration through floor procedures.

“The Freedom Caucus doesn’t approve of how it was negotiated in a sort of backroom, four-corners deal instead of through the conference committee. We don’t like that it’s being brought in under suspension of the rules,” Good said. “We don’t like that it reflects more the Democrat Senate bill versus the good Republican bill that we passed out of the House last summer. We don’t like it.”

Good also expressed disapproval of a short-term extension of section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act in the NDAA that would temporarily extend Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act until lawmakers can agree on a permanent reauthorization.

The chairman-elect said he would push for the passage of the Judiciary Committee’s bipartisan FISA reauthorization that was authored by Freedom Caucus member Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ), which would seek an overhaul of the federal law.

When Good takes over as chairman on Jan. 1, the House will be returning to the Capitol with a lengthy to-do list and a short time frame to complete it. The first batch of appropriations bills are set to expire on Jan. 19, meaning Congress must pass its Agriculture, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Energy and Water legislation to ensure continuing funding for a slew of government departments.

Good said the Freedom Caucus would continue its push to vote on the spending bills individually while urging lower top-line numbers.

“We also want to continue to push for us to pass our individual spending bills at a level that reduces our spending from last year,” he said. “That’s the reason why many of us didn’t support the CR because it relieved the pressure of the calendar [but] we haven’t really advanced our spending bill since that took place.”

Good emphasized that conservatives would continue to pressure Johnson to cut government spending, noting the speaker must make clear “what his commitment is to reduce” costs.

Aside from annual legislation, Good added that one of his top priorities would be to advance legislation strengthening the security of the southern border, noting the Freedom Caucus would “use every means at our disposal” to do so.

“[The White House and Senate] have shown no interest in doing that, and the American people are suffering as a result,” he said. “Irreparable harm has been done in the country.”

Good’s elevation to the top leadership position underscores how the Freedom Caucus has become more independent from other conservative circles in the party. Although the caucus has typically aligned itself with former President Donald Trump, Good announced earlier this year he would endorse Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) for the GOP presidential nomination.

Good is also one of the eight Republicans to break with the party to oust former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) earlier this year.

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But not all Republicans are on board with the change. Ahead of the election, Freedom Caucus member Warren Davidson (R-OH) announced he would step down from his leadership position due to the group’s intention to elect Good, arguing he would “impair” the group’s objective to “increase our influence while preserving our power to move policy.”

“I do not have an alternative nomination, but as my final fiduciary duty as a board member, I ask that you prayerfully consider electing someone else as Chairman of the House Freedom Caucus,” Davidson said in a letter to the group ahead of the election.