Exclusive | Why Freedom Caucus chair Andy Harris, a doctor from Queens, might be the most powerful member of Congress

Speaker Mike Johnson may have the House’s top job — but it’s an anesthesiologist from Queens who might soon be the most powerful member of Congress.Rep.Andy Harris, who has repped the eastern shore of Maryland since 2011, took on an elevated profile in September when he became chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, the GOP’s most conservative bloc.With Republicans holding a razor-thin majority, the famously fractious collection of two- to three-dozen GOP spending hawks could hold outsized power over President-elect Trump’s legislative agenda.Harris, 67, is a MAGA diehard, but told The Post he and his members intend to hold the line on runaway government spending.

“Whether that new spending comes in the form of tax relief or actual new spending, such as a border wall,” Harris explained, sitting in his fifth-floor office in the Longworth House building in Washington, DC, where he keeps three bibles and a portrait of Jesus painted by his mother.“It will have to be offset, because it can’t result in a net increase to the deficit.”“We did it in Mr.

Trump’s first term, and we will do it if necessary in the second term.” he added.The eight-term Republican congressman was quick to add that he doesn’t expect there to be any major friction with the White House — and believed the concerns of his members would be taken seriously.

In his 75-minute conversation with The Post, Harris expressed confidence in Elon Musk, Vivek Ramaswamy and their new Department of Government Efficiency.“The first pass will be just to examine the efficiency of the existing workforce given the existing workload, and since both he and Vivek were in corporate America, they understand that every corporation has to do that,” Harris said.The M.D.

cheered President-elect Trump’s push for Greenland.“There’s a lot of natural resources in Greenland that I think could be very useful both for economic security and for military security,” Harris said.“Greenland has...