Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., continues to break ranks with her party to put the blame for the government shutdown on the GOP, even as a political rival says it is all for show.
Greene spoke with CNN anchor Kaitlin Collins on Thursday, describing the shutdown as a “you-know-what measuring contest” between Democratic and Republican leadership. “I think the country is sick and tired of it,” Greene said.
Greene also said that “many” of her colleagues were “weak Republican men,” whom she blamed for not supporting President Donald Trump as much as she did before the 2024 election.
During the interview, Greene contradicted a Trump claim that inflation is nonexistent and grocery prices are down. “I go to the grocery store myself. Grocery prices remain high. Energy prices are high,” she said.
Greene also took a stab at Republican leadership in the House, calling out House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La.
“I like Mike Johnson, he’s a nice man,” Greene said, but criticized him for “forcing” Congress to remain out of session to the detriment of Americans.
“I do believe that when you have the responsibility of leadership, you need to take that very seriously, and unfortunately, I’m not seeing that right now,” she said.
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Greene’s departure from party lines has caused controversy, but not everyone is buying it. Progressive rival Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., has said that Greene is on a “revenge tour” against her party.
“Marjorie Taylor Greene wanted to run for Senate in Georgia,” Ocasio-Cortez said on an Instagram livestream this week. “So, she was gearing up for that statewide race, and Trump told her no. And she has been on a revenge tour ever since.”
Greene denied the claim. “I have already explained in a lengthy post that I have no interest in serving in the U.S. Senate,” Greene told The Independent. “Look at the Senate right now, it’s a total mess.”
