Meet ‘the five families’ that wield power in McCarthy’s House majority
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.
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.
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.
More moderate
More hardline
Problem Solvers Caucus
Governance Group
Main Street Caucus
Study Committee
Freedom Caucus
No affiliation
More moderate
More hardline
More hardline
More moderate
Problem Solvers Caucus
Christopher
H. Smith
Brian
Fitzpatrick
Ben
Cline
Governance Group
David Joyce
Elise Stefanik
Main Street Caucus
Stephanie I. Bice
Dusty Johnson
Steve
Scalise
Kevin
Hern
Study Committee
Marjorie
Taylor Greene
Scott
Perry
Jim
Jordan
Freedom Caucus
Kevin
McCarthy
Matt
Gaetz
No affiliation
More moderate
More hardline
More moderate
More hardline
Christopher
H. Smith
Brian
Fitzpatrick
Problem
Solvers
Caucus
Ben
Cline
David
Joyce
Elise
Stefanik
Governance
Group
Stephanie I. Bice
Dusty Johnson
Main Street
Caucus
Steve
Scalise
Kevin
Hern
Study
Committee
Scott
Perry
Jim
Jordan
Marjorie
Taylor Greene
Freedom
Caucus
Kevin
McCarthy
Matt
Gaetz
No
affiliation
More moderate
More hardline
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.
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.
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.).
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.
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.
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.
| 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.