After hardline House conservatives aggravated GOP leaders by halting the chamber floor in protest, the Freedom Caucus — which most of the agitators call home — is growing in numbers.

The Trump-aligned bloc admitted two new members this week: Reps. Diana Harshbarger (R-Tenn.) and Eric Burlison (R-Mo.). Their admittance, confirmed by two Republicans who spoke on condition of anonymity, shows that while some in the Freedom Caucus may be sparking blowback with their rebellion against GOP leaders, the group is also expanding its reach.

Burlison confirmed to POLITICO on Tuesday that he had joined its ranks, praising the Freedom Caucus’ internal collaboration and the “intensity of intellectual discourse” among members.

Both Harshbarger and Burlison joined a group of Republican resisters who opposed advancing debate on the recent debt deal between President Joe Biden and Speaker Kevin McCarthy, a move that escalated intra-party tension and set the stage for last week’s floor protest by conservatives. Most, but not all, of the roughly dozen House Republicans who mounted that protest are members of the Freedom Caucus.

Rep. Bob Good (R-Va.), asked about the new members joining the group amid the clash, connected them to the Freedom Caucus’ high-profile pushback against McCarthy and other GOP leaders.

“A couple of those individuals wanted to join the Freedom Caucus at a time when the Freedom Caucus is staking out a clear commitment to doing what the American people elected the Republican majority to do,” Good said. He lauded all 29 House Republicans who opposed the procedural vote on the debt deal as “willing to take political risks, personal risk, professional risks to do what they believe is right.”

Rep. Eric Burlison (far left) walks with Freedom Caucus members Chip Roy (second from left) and Michael Cloud (far right) outside the U.S. Capitol on May 31, 2023.