Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) is still criticizing House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) for allowing a House vote on the $1.2 trillion government funding bill signed by President Joe Biden.
Upset that Republicans had to vote on Democratic priorities like “funding the trans agenda,” as per Greene, the far-right lawmaker filed a motion to remove Johnson, who took on the role after former speaker, Representative Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), was ousted by the Republican party.
While on the right-wing news network Real America’s Voice, Greene defended her decision to stir up more chaos in Congress by stating that GOP representatives were put in a tough spot by having to vote on the spending bill during an election year.
She stated, “He has a duty and responsibility to care for our conference. That means not force us to vote on full-term abortion, funding the trans agenda, DEI, funding $300 million to the Ukraine war, and many other horrific far left funding wish list items that the Democrats were thrilled with. He shouldn’t make us vote on that in order to pay our military soldiers. That’s outrageous.”
She mentioned, “Voters are fed up with speakers of the House and Republicans that go out and campaign and make all these promises and then turn around and stab their voters in the back, because that’s what Mike Johnson did on Friday.”
Greene’s anger partly stems from the fact that the bill included funding for various organizations and programs that support LGBTQ+ people, and almost none of the over 40 anti-LGBTQ+ policy riders Republicans wanted. One of those riders would have prevented TriCare, the military’s health care system, from covering gender-affirming care.
The only anti-LGBTQ+ provision left in the bill stops Pride flags from being flown over U.S. embassies in foreign countries, which embassies can find ways to work around.
Also, Greene's statement about “full-term abortion” is incorrect, as it is not legal anywhere in the United States.
Greene also denied the possibility of a Democrat becoming speaker of the House because of her vendetta against Johnson. Instead, she blamed Representative Ken Buck (R-CO) and Representative Mike Gallagher (R-WI) for retiring without holding special elections to fill their seats, leaving two Republican seats vacant until 2025.
She said, “This is basic math. The more Republicans like Mike Gallagher that resign and leave early, guess what? That means we have fewer Republicans in the House. So every time a Mike Gallagher or a Ken Buck leaves early, that decreases our numbers and brings us dangerously closer to being in the minority.”
She added, “It’s not Marjorie Taylor Greene who is pointing out the inconvenient truth and making everyone realize that Republican voters are fed up with us doing this kind of stuff that we did last week.”
Greene stated that she would not be accountable if the House chose Democratic Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (NY) to replace Johnson. She blamed Republicans for leaving early and not having the courage to lead during a crucial time for the country.
On Twitter, Greene shared a post criticizing the omnibus spending bill for allocating funds to LGBTQ+ projects, including a senior home and a youth homeless shelter for trans kids. The bill contains many such grants for various purposes. Even Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO), who opposed the bill, received millions in earmarks for her district from the bill. The account seemed to be more concerned about earmarks related to LGBTQ+ people than others.
It’s uncertain who Republicans might choose to replace Johnson, as he was the fifth choice for Speaker. Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) suggested that Jeffries could become the next speaker due to the Republicans’ slim House majority and infighting over party leadership.
Gaetz expressed concern about Republicans crossing over to vote for Hakeem Jeffries and indicated uncertainty about the party leadership remaining unchanged.
Greene stated on Real America’s Voice that she would not be reckless with her motion to vacate.
She explained that she would bring the motion to a floor vote when necessary, emphasizing that it was a signal to Johnson and the conference that a new speaker is needed.
Once the House officially acknowledges Greene’s motion, it will have two days to decide whether to take action on it.
Greene’s opposition to the bill mirrors the concerns of conservatives in the House Freedom Caucus. They attempted to use budget negotiations to halt government funding for any organization that promotes transgenderism or provides gender-affirming care, and to prevent federal agencies from implementing DEI policies, among other objectives. They also sought to prevent the enforcement of rules requiring schools to accommodate trans students..
Greene criticized the Republican majority and expressed her disapproval of the spending bill in a Thursday post. She accused Speaker Johnson of funding the government responsible for the immigration situation at the U.S.-Mexico border. She announced her intention to vote against the bill and called for a shutdown.Greene has caused more disorder in the House by threatening to remove Johnson from his position as speaker.
