In a surprising turn of events, Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene has publicly expressed her disappointment over a recent proposal by House Speaker Mike Johnson.
The proposal, a two-step continuing resolution (CR) to fund the federal government, has been criticized for its lack of spending cuts.
Earlier this month, Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana, put forth the CR, which subsequently garnered bipartisan support. The Speaker intended to use this resolution as a means to buy the House GOP more time to reach a consensus on spending cuts. Johnson also stated that this would be his last attempt at short-term funding bills.
However, the resolution did not sit well with Congresswoman Greene. Describing it as "disappointing," Greene criticized the move for its absence of spending cuts. She dubbed it a "clean CR," a term used for a continuing resolution without spending cuts.
Greene's critique did not stop there. She expressed her expectation for more fiscal responsibility from Johnson and the GOP leadership. The Congresswoman's discontent stems from Johnson's previous opposition to a "clean CR" proposed by Kevin McCarthy.
According to Greene, Republicans need to take more "real action" on fiscal matters beyond just holding hearings and issuing statements. Her discontent was voiced during a television appearance on Tuesday.
Speaking about her disappointment, Greene said:
"I was disappointed in the clean CR that he rolled out and passed. That was a very bad move – funding Joe Biden's horrible federal government and Nancy Pelosi's budget by continuing it."
She continued, expressing her surprise at Johnson's decision, given his previous stance on clean CRs.
"I was absolutely surprised because Speaker Johnson had voted against the last clean CR that Kevin McCarthy had brought out. So I didn't expect that from him, and it was really unfortunate."
Greene articulated her annoyance by indicating that her resentment directed towards Republicans is almost on par with that towards Democrats. She emphasized her conviction that there is a compelling requirement for responsibility within her own party.
She called on the GOP to match their rhetoric on fiscal restraint with "real action." Johnson has said he will not pursue any more short-term funding bills after the current continuing resolution. But Congresswoman Greene made it clear she wants to see spending cuts, not just sweeping funding bills, from the Republican-controlled House.
With Congress headed toward another debate on funding the government, Greene's criticisms signal tensions within the GOP over fiscal policy.