Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) tried to deflect the blame onto Democrats for the impending federal government shutdown when asked for comment by CNN congressional correspondent Manu Raju on Friday evening.
"Democrats are clearly fine with shut downs. They shut down the whole country over COVID for far too long … People here in Washington need to understand how it feels to be shut down,” said Greene. (In actuality, all 50 states, including those run by Republicans, limited public gatherings and closed schools for at least some period of time during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.)
Former Republican National Committee Chair Michael Steele, a frequent critic of former President Donald Trump and the current direction of the GOP, was quick to clap back at Greene.
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"You don't get to deflect this away with your BS," wrote Steele. "Now on the brink of shutting down the government, pseudo-Republicans like you (sorry for the big word) are now acting aggrieved because of YOUR intransigence. I know, I did it again."
The handful of mostly Freedom Caucus-affiliated far-right Republicans pushing the House toward a shutdown, which could leave tens of thousands of government workers without a paycheck, have not articulated any clear demands in return for passing the funding. All of this comes as Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) tries to boost his bid to remove House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA).
Meanwhile, Senate Democrats and Republicans moved to advance a short-term funding bill, as the House appears divided over a plan that doesn't seem to have support in the Senate even if Republicans had the votes to pass it in the House.
