Topline
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., said she blames Republican leaders in Congress for the government shutdown, bucking her party yet again after echoing Democrats in expressing concerns about rising health insurance premiums—a debate at the core of the partisan shutdown battle.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., speaks at a press conference alongside alleged victims of Jeffrey Epstein at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. on September 3, 2025, announcing the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which calls for the release of all unclassified documents in the Jeffrey Epstein case. (Photo by BRYAN DOZIER/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)
Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images
Key Facts
Greene said “I’m not putting the blame on the president,” for the shutdown, adding “I’m actually putting the blame on the speaker and Leader [John] Thune in the Senate. This should not be happening.”
When asked about her comments a day earlier that Trump is “not always getting the best advice from his staff,” Greene said “I don’t think it’s good advice that a government shutdown is going to help Republicans in the midterms . . . I also don’t think it’s good advice that Republicans ignoring the health insurance crisis is gonna be good for midterms. I actually think that would be very bad for midterms.”
Greene made the comments after repeatedly lamenting the expiration of Affordable Care Act subsidies at the end of the year and accusing Republicans of lacking “a plan to help Americans deal with their health insurance premiums DOUBLING!!!” she wrote on X on Monday.
Insisting in her post on X she is “not towing the party line on this, or playing loyalty games,” Greene added “I’m a Republican and won’t vote for illegals to have any tax payer funded healthcare or benefits,” repeating the Republican talking point that Democrats’ demands for a reversal of some Republican-backed Medicaid cuts would include funds for health care for some noncitizens (though undocumented people are not eligible for Medicaid or to purchase healthcare on the ACA marketplace).
Healthcare is the latest issue where Greene has broken with party leadership—she has called for the release of the Justice Department’s files related to its investigation of Jeffrey Epstein, she was the first Republican in Congress to call the war in Gaza a “genocide” and she has criticized the Trump administration for bombing Iran’s nuclear facilities and sending weapons to Ukraine.
Crucial Quote
“I’m not some sort of blind slave to the president, and I don’t think anyone should be,” Greene told NBC this week. “I serve in Congress. We’re a separate branch of the government, and I’m not elected by the president . . . I got elected without the president’s endorsement, and, you know, I think that has served me really well.”
Contra
Trump recently called at least two senior Republicans to ask “What’s going on with Marjorie?” NBC reported, citing two unnamed GOP sources with knowledge of the conversations. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has also dismissed Greene’s criticism, telling reporters Tuesday Greene wasn’t involved in conversations among other Republicans about alternatives to the ACA subsidies.
Key Background
The government shut down on Oct. 1 when the 2025 fiscal year ended and Congress failed to come to an agreement on a new spending plan. Senate Democrats have refused to give Republicans the seven votes they need in order to break the 60-vote filibuster threshold to lift the shutdown, demanding a reversal of Medicaid cuts and extension of ACA subsidies in exchange for their support of a GOP-backed measure to reopen the government.
Further Reading
Marjorie Taylor Greene Says She’s ‘Disgusted’ Health Insurance Costs Could Double (Forbes)
Democrats Dig In On Shutdown Fight: ‘Every Day Gets Better For Us’ (Forbes)
Government Shutdown: Senate Blocks Bills To Reopen Government (Forbes)
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