New House Freedom Caucus chair reveals GOP rebel group's next 'big fight'

EXCLUSIVE: New House Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Harris, R-Md., wants to focus on two key issues for the remainder of this year – government funding and next year’s House GOP Conference rules.

"I've been on the Freedom Caucus, really, since, since the beginning," Harris told Fox News Digital on Tuesday night, in his first interview since being elected chair of the ultra-conservative group.

"I've watched, you know, all our chairs do a great job pushing the conservative agenda with Congress, and with the American people. And right now our big fight is going to be on controlling spending. It's going to be on what the rules look like for the next Congress."

Harris promised, "I'm going to roll up my sleeves and battle those two issues."

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The Maryland Republican, who was first elected in 2010, was chosen to lead the Freedom Caucus for the remainder of the year after Rep. Bob Good, R-Va., vacated the role following his June primary loss to another Republican.

Harris has not been known to be particularly chatty with reporters on Capitol Hill, making him an understandable successor for a group that keeps even its membership list undisclosed.

The Freedom Caucus has also long been seen as a thorn in the side of House GOP leaders, pushing them to go further in pushing conservative policies through Congress.

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Harris, however, praised Speaker Mike Johnson’s leadership on government funding ahead of a Wednesday vote on a Freedom Caucus-backed plan to avoid a government shutdown.

The plan is a six-month extension of this year’s federal funds known as a continuing