Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., has just pulled a stunning about-face on President Donald Trump’s signature “Big Beautiful Bill Act,” turning a once-solid alliance into a public showdown over federal power.
Daily Mail reported that Greene, who initially backed the bill in late May, now opposes a specific provision on artificial intelligence regulation, joining other GOP critics in a brewing party rift as the legislation heads to the Senate with a tight deadline of July 4 for passage.
Let’s rewind to May 22, when Greene cast her vote in favor of this sprawling 1,000-page bill in the House, where it squeaked by with a razor-thin 215-214-1 margin.
Here’s the kicker: Greene later confessed she didn’t read the entire document before voting, missing a clause that bars states from regulating AI systems in interstate commerce for a decade.
Once she caught wind of this provision, she flipped her stance faster than a pancake on a griddle, arguing it undermines the very federalism conservatives hold dear.
“This clause would take away state rights to make laws or regulate AI for 10 years,” Greene declared on the House floor Wednesday, sounding the alarm on what she sees as a dangerous overreach.
Her critique didn’t stop there—she warned that ceding such power to Washington could set a precedent that even President Trump wouldn’t want tied to his legacy.
“I don’t want to be the Congress that destroys federalism,” Greene told the Daily Mail, urging Senate colleagues to strip the offending language before it’s too late.
She’s not just venting to the press; Greene has taken her concerns straight to the White House’s Office of Legislative Affairs and Speaker Mike Johnson, hoping to rally support for a fix.
Now, with the bill before the Senate, Greene is pushing hard for Senators to remove the AI rules, aligning with Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., and Trump’s goal to finalize edits by early July.
But here’s where it gets dicey—if the Senate keeps the provision and sends the bill back to the House, Greene has vowed to vote against it, a move that could sink the legislation given Johnson’s zero-margin-for-error situation.
“If it doesn’t come out, I don’t think I can vote for it,” she told the Daily Mail, making it clear she’s willing to risk party unity over principle.
This isn’t just Greene’s fight—other GOP heavyweights like Elon Musk, who dubbed it a “pork-filled abomination,” and Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., are also slamming the bill for reasons ranging from debt increases to insufficient cuts to programs like Social Security.
Even some House Freedom Caucus members are grumbling, wanting deeper slashes to social spending, while the bill’s other measures—like no taxes on tips, border wall funding, and a debt ceiling hike—struggle to unify the party.
Meanwhile, Democrats like Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Calif.., couldn’t resist a jab, posting on X, “PRO TIP: It’s helpful to read stuff before voting on it,” a polite but pointed reminder that due diligence isn’t optional. Turns out, skipping the fine print can come back to bite, and conservatives like Greene are learning that the hard way as they navigate this internal storm over a bill meant to be Trump’s crowning achievement.
