In a heated call, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene chastises Republicans over their shutdown strategy
WASHINGTON — Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., denounced the shutdown strategy of her Republican colleagues and White House staff during a heated conference call Tuesday.
Her main complaint, which she has also expressed publicly, is that Republicans are doing nothing to address the looming health care cliff, she confirmed on X after the call. Some funding for insurance coverage under the Affordable Care Act expires at the end of this year, and many Americans could see their monthly premiums double or even triple.
The issue has become all the more pressing as open enrollment begins Saturday, Nov. 1, and there are fears people will drop their coverage for 2026 if they see prices rise.
On Tuesday, Greene accused her party of letting the country down, according to a Republican source who participated in the conference call. Greene later confirmed these comments herself, even adding more details, the latest sign of a rift between her and her party.
Greene has long been one of President Donald Trump’s most ardent supporters, but in recent weeks she has clashed with his party on a number of high-profile issues, including the administration’s strikes on Iran, the Gaza conflict and its handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case.
Shortly after Tuesday’s call ended, the Georgia Republican began posting to X and confirming reports that she had exposed her party’s leadership and expressed frustration with the White House policy team.
“I said I had no respect that the House was not in session to pass our bills and the President’s executive orders. And I asked President Johnson to find out what the Republican plan was on health care,” she wrote.
Greene also argued that the Republicans’ shutdown strategy angered the American people and hurt Trump’s popularity, according to the source on the call.
She advocated for the Senate to get rid of the filibuster and for the House to return to session, this person said, although she also argued that Republicans needed to get out of Washington to listen to the anger of real Americans. The House has not been in session since Sept. 19, with House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., keeping members out of town to pressure Senate Democrats to end the shutdown.
Johnson, who was leading the call, pushed Greene away. He argued that Republicans are working around the clock on a health care solution and that discussions about expiring Affordable Care Act subsidies are ongoing, according to the source on the call.
Greene confirmed this on X, but said she wasn’t satisfied with his answer.
“Johnson said he had ideas and pages of policy ideas and the jurisdictional committees were working on them, but he refused to give a policy proposal to our GOP conference on our own conference call. Apparently I have to go to a SCIF to find out the Republican health plan!!!” she wrote, referring to secure areas for reviewing classified documents.
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Johnson also rebuffed Greene’s call for the Senate to neutralize the legislative filibuster, according to a second source on the call. Most legislation requires 60 votes to pass the Senate, but Greene and others have suggested removing that rule to allow Republicans to reopen the government themselves. Supporters of keeping the filibuster fear this nuclear attack could come back to bite Republicans the next time Democrats take control of the Senate.
Johnson’s office declined to comment.
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