The far-right House Freedom Caucus crawled out of the tea party movement’s carcass in 2015 with the goal of obstructing every piece of legislation that could help Americans. The extremist bloc has mushroomed since, and now permeates state legislatures across the country.
Much like we’ve seen at the federal level, Freedom Caucus offshoots at the state level have resulted in the same infighting, ludicrous proposed legislation, and obstructionist tactics so loved by Congress members like Jim Jordan and Matt Gaetz.
The State Freedom Caucus Network’s website lists the state legislators who are proud to be the GOP’s agents of chaos at the local level.
Not every Republican is a fan, including South Carolina state Rep. Micah Caskey.
“They are a ‘let’s govern by bumper sticker’ entity. I have a general contempt for what I see as the lack of integrity and honesty with which they approach legislating,” he told Politico.
Before we hoist Caskey up on our shoulders as a voice of reason, it is important to point out that one of his big beefs with South Carolina Freedom Caucus members is that their extremist ideology and penchant for hard-line absolutism lead to fewer conservative policies moving through the Republican-controlled state Legislature.
Freedom Caucus cohorts have been especially active in Missouri, Arizona, and Idaho in early 2024, and their members have attempted some truly unhinged maneuvers:
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Missouri state Sen. Denny Hoskins is pushing an “Anti-Red Flag Gun Seizure Act” that would ban any federal orders or court orders of protection that include confiscating someone’s firearms.
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Arizona state Sen. Justine Wadsack, a true gun lobby sycophant, has offered up a bill that would allow anyone in her gun-fetish-friendly state to arrest shoplifters.
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State Sen. Tammy Nichols, who co-chairs the Idaho Freedom Caucus, has championed a very important piece of historic legislation that would amend the state’s existing specialty license plates law to “establish a Don’t Tread on Me license plate.”
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In Missouri, state Rep. Justin Sparks has offered up HB 2621, which would prohibit Missouri’s medical schools from collaborating with clinics outside of the state on abortion-related training. I guess the “freedom” here is the freedom to not have reproductive rights?
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Missouri state Sen. Nick Schroer’s bill would allow senators to duel one another—in the Senate chambers!–legally.
Not only is the duel bill absurd, it is ahistorical. Yale historian Joanne B. Freeman tweeted, ”You know…back in the day, they were smart enough to take dueling OUTSIDE. The draft that I saw suggests doing it in the chamber. This doesn’t show guts or bravery or manhood—if it’s supposed to. It shows utter stupidity.”
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Walter Einenkel
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