Dem
49
GOP
51
Well, OK, it's not the same Andy. Despite its small size, the House Freedom Caucus wields an amount of power far greater than its numbers ought to give it. The problem is that it can block nearly anything House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) wants and often does. Consequently, who runs it is very important.
The current chairman is Rep. Bob Good (R-VA), who lost his primary, so he needed to be replaced. There were two main candidates, Reps. Andy Biggs (R-AZ) and Andy Harris (R-MD). Just before the FC members were about to caucus to elect their new leader, Biggs saw the writing on the wall and dropped out, leaving only one candidate, Harris, who was then duly elected. A President Harris and a Chairman Harris are not likely to get along very well. Of course, a President Trump and a Chairman Harris will be great buddies.
The election is only for this session of Congress. The FC didn't want a lame duck to be the leader going into the election and Good obliged by resigning his post. In January, the FC will choose a new leader. If Harris manages to shut down the government and pull off a few other FC priorities, he will be the frontrunner in 2025.
Harris is chair of the Appropriations subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, and the FDA. This gives him some power of spending and is likely to lead to clashes with Johnson. (V)