A small but vocal group of MAGA Republicans has turned the U.S. House into a circus, and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene from Georgia is determined to be the master of the ring.
In a bubble Wednesday press conference On the steps of the Capitol, Greene promised to force a vote on the motion to expel the Representative. Mike Johnson of Louisiana as Speaker of the House.
Greene introduced the motion to vacate in late March but waited to call a vote. At Wednesday’s news conference, she said that was a warning that Johnson didn’t heed.
“I was in control. I was responsible,” Greene insisted. “I was aware and caring about my conference and our majority.”
But Greene doesn’t care about the Republican majority. If he did, he would have listened to almost all of his Republican colleagues and other senior Republican officials who urged her not to go down this path. The lack of party unity could put the Republican majority in danger.
According to Political, Greene met face-to-face with Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley the day before her announcement. The president emphasized to the media outlet that “nothing is more important than party unity and ensuring we are focused on defeating Joe Biden and the Democrats in November.”
And although Greene insists she is supporting the “motion to vacate” the windmill out of concern for her party and MAGA agenda, even former President Donald Trump has urged her to back off. On a joint appearance with Johnson for less than a month, Trump told the media that “I stand with the speaker” and urged his critics to focus on “much bigger problems.”
If that wasn’t enough, Greene’s move doesn’t even hit her to have standards to force legislation to pass because is not supported by most of his Republican colleagues.
Just last month, Greene punished Johnson for violating what is known as the “Hastert Rule” — an informal policy whereby the speaker does not allow legislation to be introduced until it is favored by a majority of the majority party. “A Republican speaker doesn’t do that,” she said.
In October, Greene warned then-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy of California, explicitly urging him “not to violate the Hastert Rule.”
But when the House moves forward next week, Greene is expected to force a vote on the vacate motion. It will fail when a majority of House Republicans and even several House Democrats vote against it, as Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York has claimed. recently promised.
The House of Representatives is a body with 435 seats. When one of its members goes rogue and demands whatever, and works to sabotage efforts toward productivity and consensus, that member is going against the way the founders designed Congress to function.
Greene’s record indicates a determination to slow Congress’s work on behalf of the American people. During her first term in 2021, she repeatedly forced unnecessary votes and motions to adjourn to delay legislation she didn’t like, angering even his Republican colleagues in the process.
She has used every tool at her disposal to delay or block bipartisan legislation, whether for foreign aid or just to fund the government. Tactics like Greene’s are why the 118th Congress is on the right path be the least productive in modern history.
Most House Republicans, including Johnson, appear to be waking up to the reality that, with a slim majority, they will have to reach across the aisle to alleviate any of the problems facing the American people.
After all, “congress” literally means “the act or action of coming together and meeting.”
Greene’s objections may be loud and incendiary, but if Republicans see her antics for what they are and choose to set partisanship aside in favor of good faith conversations, her governing style could fade into irrelevance and elected officials will finally be able to return to work.
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This article was originally published in MSNBC.com
