Marjorie Taylor Greene Is Exacting Her Revenge

Congresswoman is using a procedural trick to gum up Democrats' work in the House
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Mar 11, 2021 11:34 AM CST
Marjorie Taylor Greene Is Exacting Her Revenge
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington on Feb. 5, 2021.   (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

When Democrats took the rare step of stripping Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of her committee assignments last month, she responded with a defiant tweet. "I woke up early this morning literally laughing thinking about what a bunch of morons the Democrats ... are for giving some one like me free time," she wrote. Greene, it turns out, has been making good on her threat—through repeated use of a procedural maneuver that's gumming up the works in Congress, if only for an hour or so at a time. Coverage:

  • The move: Greene has forced the House to vote on a motion to adjourn four times in recent days, most recently on Wednesday, reports USA Today. Any member of the House can call for such a vote, which requires all members to drop what they're doing, report to the House chamber, and cast their vote.

  • Frustration: Any such vote is destined to fail because Democrats control the House. But the Hill reports that a growing number of Republicans are getting frustrated as well. Forty joined Democrats in voting against adjournment Wednesday, up from 18 last week. "Aggravated," GOP Rep. Ann Wagner tells the Hill of having to leave a committee hearing with the chairman of the Federal Reserve to cast her vote. GOP Rep. Fred Upton was more blunt: "It's a pain in the a--," he tells CNN.
  • Defiance: Greene, who accuses Democrats of "ramming through" legislation too quickly, tells the Washington Post her critics can expect more of the same. "These are tactics I will definitely use, and I'll have more tactics to use," she says. "You see, the difference in me is I'm not one of those that gets in line and says 'Yes sir' and does as I'm told." Greene has been naming Republicans who vote against her and labeling them members of the "Surrender Caucus."
  • Rule change? Democratic Rep. David Cicilline says he might propose a rule change stipulating that only representatives who sit on a committee can call for adjournment. "I'm dead serious," he tells Newsweek. To which Greene responded: "Do you mean Rep. Mussolini? Not only did Democrats unilaterally strip away my committees, now they want to remove any powers I have to represent my district. The Democrats run the House of Hypocrites with tyrannical control."
  • Possible target: A post by Allahpundit at HotAir wonders if Greene's real target isn't Democrats, giving that she's publicly naming fellow Republicans who vote against her motions. "Is it really the libs she's after, then? Or is she just looking for an excuse to provoke a populist/moderate squabble within the party?
  • Background: Greene was stripped of her committee posts because of her past embrace of wild conspiracy theories, though she has since voiced her regret about supporting them.
(More Marjorie Taylor Greene stories.)

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