MTG Rages Against Mike Johnson’s New Ploy on Spending Plan

Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene is calling out Speaker of the House Mike Johnson.

In a long post on X Tuesday, Greene said Johnson is “leading a fake fight that he has no intention of actually fighting,” regarding his plan to attach the SAVE Act, which would bar noncitizens from voting, to the government spending bill.

“This is classic bait and switch that will enrage the base, only one month before the election, when they find out they have been tricked and let down again,” Greene wrote. “The only way to make the SAVE Act a law would be to refuse to pass a [continuing resolution] until the Senate agrees to pass the SAVE Act and Biden agrees to sign it into law.”

Johnson announced earlier Tuesday that he would attach the SAVE Act, which is based on faulty data and seeks to solve a problem that doesn’t exist, to a six-month continuing resolution to fund the government. That’s an obvious nonstarter for Democrats.

It’s not surprising that Greene would publicly disagree with Republican leadership, but Greene closed her message by saying, “Speaker Johnson needs to go to the Democrats, who he has worked with the entire time, to get the votes he needs to do what he is already planning to do.”

Greene is known for being one of the most right-wing members of Congress and is not known for working with Democrats or even supporting bipartisan efforts. She is better known for feuding with the opposing party, especially when she insulted Representative Jasmine Crockett’s appearance earlier this year.

While Greene has publicly supported the SAVE Act, it seems that even she is seeing the futility of attaching it to government funding while it has near-total opposition from Democrats. Her post notes that the bill could only pass with a threat to shut down the government, which, according to her, Johnson doesn’t want to happen. Plus, Greene said, the SAVE Act will be passed too late to affect any ballots in the November election, as ballots are already being prepared in several states, especially with early voting.

Johnson faces a tall order in trying to pass a resolution to fund the government, and he needs every vote he can get, particularly with a narrow Republican majority. If even extremists like Greene are saying he needs Democratic support, then the speaker should reevaluate his plan before the government shuts down.