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Meet ‘the five families’ that wield power in McCarthy’s House majority [1]

['Adrian Blanco', 'Marianna Sotomayor', 'Hannah Dormido', 'Adrián Blanco Ramos Is A Graphic Reporter In The Graphics Department At The Washington Post.', 'He Previously Worked At Spanish Newspaper El Confidencial Focusing On Data Visualization', 'Data Analysis', 'Investigative Journalism. He Participated In The International Consortium Of Investigative Journalist S Paradise Papers Investigation.', 'Marianna Sotomayor Covers The House Of Representatives', 'Primarily Focusing On Democratic', 'Republican Leadership']

Date: 2023-05

Republican leadership Kevin McCarthy (Calif.) Speaker of the House Steve Scalise (La.) Gary Palmer (Ala.) Majority Leader Policy Committee Chair Tom Emmer (Minn.) Elise Stefanik (N.Y.) Majority Whip Conference Chair Garret Graves (La.) Elected Leadership Committee Chair Problem Solvers Caucus Republican Main Street Caucus Republican Study Committee House Freedom Caucus Republican Governance Group Brian Fitzpatrick (Pa.) David Joyce (Ohio) Dusty Johnson (S.D.) Kevin Hern (Okla.) Scott Perry (Pa.) Co-Chair Chair Chair Chair Chair 29 members 33 42 67 173 Republican leadership Kevin McCarthy (Calif.) Speaker of the House Steve Scalise (La.) Gary Palmer (Ala.) Majority Leader Policy Committee Chair Tom Emmer (Minn.) Elise Stefanik (N.Y.) Majority Whip Conference Chair Garret Graves (La.) Elected Leadership Committee Chair Republican Study Committee Problem Solvers Caucus Republican Governance Group Republican Main Street Caucus House Freedom Caucus Brian Fitzpatrick (Pa.) David Joyce (Ohio) Dusty Johnson (S.D.) Kevin Hern (Okla.) Scott Perry (Pa.) Co-Chair Chair Chair Chair Chair 33 29 members 42 67 173 Republican leadership Kevin McCarthy (Calif.) Speaker of the House Steve Scalise(La.) Majority Leader Tom Emmer (Minn.) Majority Whip Elise Stefanik (N.Y.) Conference Chair Gary Palmer (Ala.) Policy Committee Chair Garret Graves (La.) Elected Leadership Committee Chair Problem Solvers Caucus Brian Fitzpatrick (Pa.) Co-Chair 29 members Republican Governance Group David Joyce (Ohio) 42 Chair Republican Main Street Caucus Dusty Johnson (S.D.) 67 Chair Republican Study Committee 173 Kevin Hern (Okla.) Chair House Freedom Caucus Scott Perry (Pa.) 33 Chair

It all started with a meeting that then-Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) convened after the midterm elections. He wanted to discuss how a razor-thin Republican majority would operate — and whether he still had a pathway to lead the fractious Republican conference and become speaker of the House.

As lawmakers streamed out of the leadership office late last year, many emerged with mixed reactions to the meeting. But one common observation emerged: McCarthy had intentionally brought in representatives from each of the Republicans’ five ideological caucuses, reminiscent of how “the five families” in “The Godfather” met to strategize in an effort to keep the peace.

The comparison stuck.

Each week the House is in session, the chairs of the five caucuses meet in the speaker’s office to discuss how lawmakers in their individual factions feel about bills that are set to be voted on in the near term and strategize about how to reach common ground on more consequential items that must be addressed in the not-so-distant future.

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The “five families” represent a range of views, from the most moderate who are willing to work with Democrats to the ultraconservative who often push leadership to accept their demands in return for their votes.

Most Republicans belong to at least one group, but many claim membership in more than one because of personal interests and political leanings.

Fourteen Republicans choose not to be a part of any of the five families. Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) has notoriously become an independent voice within the conference, a badge he wears proudly by not belonging to any group. Others would rather focus on their district or belong to an issues-based caucus, such as the longest-serving Republican in the House, Rep. Harold Rogers (Ky.), who founded the Prescription Drug Abuse Caucus.

As the top Republicans overseeing a four-vote majority, McCarthy and his leadership team have an incentive to ensure that all factions feel included as they face the daunting tasks of raising the debt ceiling and keeping the government funded this year, among other must-pass items. McCarthy’s chances of keeping the speakership largely hinge on how he navigates the demands within his conference, especially after several far-right members, mostly from the Freedom Caucus, almost prevented him from taking the speaker’s gavel. He succeeded after he relented to their specific demand to change a rule that would allow him to be ousted from his position in a recall vote that could be demanded by a single lawmaker.

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To ensure that a wide variety of members’ input is heard, McCarthy tasked Rep. Garret Graves (R-La.), a trusted ally, to chair the Elected Leadership Committee (ELC). The group is significantly larger than the five chairs meeting, with over a dozen participants from each family, giving more members an opportunity to directly express their opinions for leaders to consider.

Yet not all Republicans love the “five families” reference; in “The Godfather,” the relationship eventually ends in bloodshed. Leaders in particular bemoan the moniker because it assumes that instead of keeping the peace, Republicans will ultimately turn on one another this congressional term.

To determine the ideological makeup of each group, The Washington Post approximated each member’s score below using a measure called DW-NOMINATE, which estimates each lawmaker’s ideology based on voting records.

While membership in these groups is not always publicly available, The Post identified affiliations based on publicly available lists, verifying allegiances with conference staff members and checking with individual offices. Learn more about each group below and see a full list of members, according to our reporting.

Problem Solvers Caucus

Brian Fitzpatrick (Pa.) Republican Co-Chair Nicole Malliotakis (N.Y.) Don Bacon (Neb.) Vice Chair Whip Brian Fitzpatrick (Pa.) Republican Co-Chair Nicole Malliotakis (N.Y.) Don Bacon (Neb.) Vice Chair Whip

The Problem Solvers Caucus is the only bipartisan ideological group in the House, making it the most moderate of the five families. Established in 2017, its membership is quite exclusive because a lawmaker can only be accepted if a member from the opposing party joins at the same time. Sixty-three members now make up the group after 12 Republicans joined this term.

The group is led by Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) and Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.). Both serve as the caucus’s co-chairs, but only Fitzpatrick plays an outsize role in meetings with GOP leadership as a close McCarthy ally.

Given their bipartisan nature, the Problem Solvers, many of whom represent swing districts, influence the legislative process by pushing policies that could realistically achieve consensus. The group serves as a key gauge for leaders because they can reliably get an early sense of how many votes they can lose within their own party once informed about how many in the opposing party will cross the aisle and cast a vote with the majority.

See full list

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Republican Governance Group

David Joyce (Ohio) Chair Young Kim (Calif.) Blake Moore (Utah) Vice Chair Vice Chair David G. Valadao (Calif.) ELC Representative David Joyce (Ohio) Chair Young Kim (Calif.) Blake Moore (Utah) Vice Chair Vice Chair David G. Valadao (Calif.) ELC Representative

The Republican Governance Group or “RG2,” as it is informally called in the GOP conference, was first established in 1994 as the home for conservatives after Republicans swept back into the majority for the first time in decades. Since then, the group has undergone a name change — it was once known as the “Tuesday Group” after the day its members would gather — and it has moved more toward the center as a fiscally conservative and socially moderate Republican group, with most members voting in support of the Respect for Marriage Act last year. The group remains open to finding consensus with Democrats.

Its influence waned under majorities with larger margins. But with only four votes to spare for the GOP majority this Congress, the group is working to exert leverage in policy negotiations and is fiercely defensive over ensuring that its most vulnerable colleagues do not take hard votes that could risk the majority in 2024. Chairman David Joyce (Ohio) made it explicitly clear to McCarthy during the speakership fight that McCarthy must run any decisions or deals he may strike with more conservative caucuses through RG2 because the group has always had McCarthy’s back.

See full list

Republican Main Street Caucus

Dusty Johnson (S.D.) Chair Stephanie I. Bice (Okla.) Co-Chair David G. Valadao (Calif.) Lisa C. McClain (Mich.) Randy Feenstra (Iowa) Executive Board Executive Board Executive Board Dusty Johnson (S.D.) Chair Stephanie I. Bice (Okla.) Co-Chair David G. Valadao (Calif.) Lisa C. McClain (Mich.) Randy Feenstra (Iowa) Executive Board Executive Board Executive Board

The Republican Main Street Caucus stands at the center of all the ideological caucuses, but don’t mistake its members for moderates. Lawmakers hail from ruby-red areas to swing districts that Joe Biden won handily in 2020 and represent a range on the ideological spectrum. The through line for them is their willingness to cut deals to ensure common policy goals get passed through the House with only Republican votes. Rep. Don Bacon (Neb.), who hails from a swing district, relaunched the group at the beginning of the last Congress, but it is now under the direction of Chair Dusty Johnson (S.D.) and Co-Chair Stephanie I. Bice (Okla.).

See full list

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Republican Study Committee

Kevin Hern (Okla.) Chair Steve Scalise (La.) Mike Johnson (La.) Jim Banks (Ind.) Jeff Duncan (S.C.) Executive Committee Executive Committee Executive Committee Executive Committee Kevin Hern (Okla.) Chair Steve Scalise (La.) Mike Johnson (La.) Exec. Committee Exec. Committee Jim Banks (Ind.) Jeff Duncan (S.C.) Exec. Committee Exec. Committee

The Republican Study Committee remains the largest ideological group, with more than half of the House GOP conference claiming membership. With more than 170 members, the RSC reflects the most common conservative ideals of the Republican Party as it often has over its 50-year tenure.

Given its wide appeal, touting members from Problem Solvers to Freedom Caucus, the RSC has been traditionally known for releasing socially and economically conservative policy proposals that could serve as a road map for the GOP conference. Since 1995, the RSC has released a budget blueprint that consistently advocates for cuts in nondefense spending.

It has also become a launchpad for further ambition. Several of its chairmen have gone on to enter the top echelons of House leadership, such as Scalise, or national politics, such as former vice president Mike Pence. Last term’s chairman, Jim Banks (Ind.), tried to elevate the RSC’s national profile by proposing policies closely aligned with former president Donald Trump, while the current chairman, Kevin Hern (Okla.), has tried to return the committee to its studious roots.

See full list

House Freedom Caucus

Scott Perry (Pa.) Chair Jim Jordan (Ohio) Chairman Emeritus Lauren Boebert (Colo.) Chip Roy (Tex.) Warren Davidson (Ohio) Communications Chair Policy Chair Whip Scott Perry (Pa.) Chair Jim Jordan (Ohio) Chairman Emeritus Lauren Boebert (Colo.) Chip Roy (Tex.) Warren Davidson (Ohio) Policy Chair Whip Communications Chair

The most ideologically conservative group among congressional Republicans is the House Freedom Caucus. Known for pushing Trump’s “America First” vision, the Freedom Caucus has historically been a thorn in leadership’s side. The group, founded in 2015 as the far-right offshoot of the RSC, bonded over dislike of then-Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio). Its power was on display when it worked to oust Boehner and, later, Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) as the top Republican in the House. This year, the group made it painfully difficult for McCarthy to assume the speakership.

With roughly 35 members on its roster — which has never been made public — the group remains the smallest ideological faction of just Republicans. But this majority’s slim margin makes the Freedom Caucus influential in any negotiation, with many members already drawing red lines ahead of budget debates. The group also includes many who voted against certifying the 2020 presidential election and are against sending funds to Ukraine to support its forces against Russia’s invasion.

The group is currently led by Chairman Scott Perry (Pa.), but it has previously been under the leadership of Rep. Jim Jordan (Ohio) and Reps. Mark Meadows (N.C.) and Mick Mulvaney (S.C.), who went on to serve as Trump chiefs of staff.

See full list

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If you’re curious about what ideological caucus each representative has chosen to belong to, explore the full list of affiliations among House Republicans below.

Filter by family Filter by Family All families Problem Solvers Caucus Republican Governance Group Republican Main Street Caucus Republican Study Committee House Freedom Caucus No affiliation Member Problem Solvers Governance Group Main Street Study Committee Freedom Caucus Aderholt Ala. 4th Alford Mo. 4th Allen Ga. 12th Amodei Nev. 2nd Armstrong N.D. At large Arrington Tex. 19th Babin Tex. 36th Bacon Neb. 2nd Baird Ind. 4th Balderson Ohio 12th Banks Ind. 3rd Barr Ky. 6th Bean Fla. 4th Bentz Ore. 2nd Bergman Mich. 1st Bice Okla. 5th Biggs Ariz. 5th Bilirakis Fla. 12th Bishop N.C. 8th Boebert Colo. 3rd Bost Ill. 12th Brecheen Okla. 2nd Buchanan Fla. 16th Buck Colo. 4th Bucshon Ind. 8th Burchett Tenn. 2nd Burgess Tex. 26th Burlison Mo. 7th Calvert Calif. 41st Cammack Fla. 3rd Carey Ohio 15th Carl Ala. 1st Carter Ga. 1st Carter Tex. 31st Chavez-DeRemer Ore. 5th Ciscomani Ariz. 6th Cline Va. 6th Cloud Tex. 27th Clyde Ga. 9th Cole Okla. 4th Collins Ga. 10th Comer Ky. 1st Crane Ariz. 2nd Crawford Ark. 1st Crenshaw Tex. 2nd Curtis Utah 3rd D'Esposito N.Y. 4th Davidson Ohio 8th De La Cruz Tex. 15th DesJarlais Tenn. 4th Diaz-Balart Fla. 26th Donalds Fla. 19th Duarte Calif. 13th Duncan S.C. 3rd Dunn Fla. 2nd Edwards N.C. 11th Ellzey Tex. 6th Emmer Minn. 6th Estes Kan. 4th Ezell Miss. 4th Fallon Tex. 4th Feenstra Iowa 4th Ferguson Ga. 3rd Finstad Minn. 1st Fischbach Minn. 7th Fitzgerald Wis. 5th Fitzpatrick Pa. 1st Fleischmann Tenn. 3rd Flood Neb. 1st Foxx N.C. 5th Franklin Fla. 18th Fry S.C. 7th Fulcher Idaho 1st Gaetz Fla. 1st Gallagher Wis. 8th Garbarino N.Y. 2nd Garcia Calif. 27th Giménez Fla. 28th Gonzales Tex. 23rd Good Va. 5th Gooden Tex. 5th Gosar Ariz. 9th Granger Tex. 12th Graves La. 6th Graves Mo. 6th Green Tenn. 7th Greene Ga. 14th Griffith Va. 9th Grothman Wis. 6th Guest Miss. 3rd Guthrie Ky. 2nd Hageman Wyo. At large Harris Md. 1st Harshbarger Tenn. 1st Hern Okla. 1st Higgins La. 3rd Hill Ark. 2nd Hinson Iowa 2nd Houchin Ind. 9th Hudson N.C. 9th Huizenga Mich. 4th Hunt Tex. 38th Issa Calif. 48th Jackson Tex. 13th James Mich. 10th Johnson La. 4th Johnson Ohio 6th Johnson S.D. At large Jordan Ohio 4th Joyce Ohio 14th Joyce Pa. 13th Kean Jr. N.J. 7th Kelly Miss. 1st Kelly Pa. 16th Kiggans Va. 2nd Kiley Calif. 3rd Kim Calif. 40th Kustoff Tenn. 8th LaHood Ill. 16th LaLota N.Y. 1st LaMalfa Calif. 1st LaTurner Kan. 2nd Lamborn Colo. 5th Langworthy N.Y. 23rd Latta Ohio 5th Lawler N.Y. 17th Lee Fla. 15th Lesko Ariz. 8th Letlow La. 5th Loudermilk Ga. 11th Lucas Okla. 3rd Luetkemeyer Mo. 3rd Luna Fla. 13th Luttrell Tex. 8th Mace S.C. 1st Malliotakis N.Y. 11th Mann Kan. 1st Massie Ky. 4th Mast Fla. 21st McCarthy Calif. 20th McCaul Tex. 10th McClain Mich. 9th McClintock Calif. 5th McCormick Ga. 6th McHenry N.C. 10th McMorris Rodgers Wash. 5th Meuser Pa. 9th Miller Ill. 15th Miller Ohio 7th Miller W.Va. 1st Miller-Meeks Iowa 1st Mills Fla. 7th Molinaro N.Y. 19th Moolenaar Mich. 2nd Mooney W.Va. 2nd Moore Ala. 2nd Moore Utah 1st Moran Tex. 1st Murphy N.C. 3rd Nehls Tex. 22nd Newhouse Wash. 4th Norman S.C. 5th Nunn Iowa 3rd Obernolte Calif. 23rd Ogles Tenn. 5th Owens Utah 4th Palmer Ala. 6th Pence Ind. 6th Perry Pa. 10th Pfluger Tex. 11th Posey Fla. 8th Reschenthaler Pa. 14th Rogers Ala. 3rd Rogers Ky. 5th Rose Tenn. 6th Rosendale Mont. 2nd Rouzer N.C. 7th Roy Tex. 21st Rutherford Fla. 5th Salazar Fla. 27th Santos N.Y. 3rd Scalise La. 1st Schweikert Ariz. 1st Scott Ga. 8th Self Tex. 3rd Sessions Tex. 17th Simpson Idaho 2nd Smith Mo. 8th Smith Neb. 3rd Smith N.J. 4th Smucker Pa. 11th Spartz Ind. 5th Stauber Minn. 8th Steel Calif. 45th Stefanik N.Y. 21st Steil Wis. 1st Steube Fla. 17th Stewart Utah 2nd Strong Ala. 5th Tenney N.Y. 24th Thompson Pa. 15th Tiffany Wis. 7th Timmons S.C. 4th Turner Ohio 10th Valadao Calif. 22nd Van Drew N.J. 2nd Van Duyne Tex. 24th Van Orden Wis. 3rd Wagner Mo. 2nd Walberg Mich. 5th Waltz Fla. 6th Weber Tex. 14th Webster Fla. 11th Wenstrup Ohio 2nd Westerman Ark. 4th Williams N.Y. 22nd Williams Tex. 25th Wilson S.C. 2nd Wittman Va. 1st Womack Ark. 3rd Yakym Ind. 2nd Zinke Mont. 1st

Chris Alcantara contributed to this report.

correction A previous version of this story said Rep. Ronny Jackson is a member of the House Freedom Caucus. He sometimes appears with the caucus but is not an official member. A previous version of this story incorrectly used a photo of Rep. Barry Moore (Ala.) in place of Rep. Blake D. Moore (Utah). It has been corrected.

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[1] Url: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/interactive/2023/house-republican-five-families/

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