Greene Points Finger at GOP Leaders Over Shutdown

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene is once again challenging her own party's leadership, this time pointing fingers at top Republicans for the ongoing government shutdown. Speaking Thursday morning on CNN, the Georgia Republican made it clear she's not blaming the president. Instead, she singled out House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Republican Leader John Thune, arguing the shutdown is on their watch: "This should not be happening," Greene said.

• "We control the House, we control the Senate, we have the White House," Greene said. "I've been vocal saying you can use the nuclear option in the Senate. This doesn't have to be a shutdown. But what we have to do is we have to work for the American people, and our country is so divided right now."

Her criticism comes as she publicly distances herself from GOP leaders, even President Trump, on several high-profile issues. Recently, Greene has labeled the war in Gaza a "genocide," advocated for the release of Jeffrey Epstein-related files, and pushed for extended subsidies under the Affordable Care Act—the Democrats' main demand for ending the shutdown, Politico reports.

On Thursday, the ninth day of the shutdown, a GOP-backed stopgap funding measure failed a Senate vote for the seventh time, with both sides blaming each other for the shutdown. Trump again threatened to cut "Democrat programs" on Thursday, but some GOP senators suggested his tactics were making it harder to negotiate, reports the AP. "I think with senators, carrots work better than sticks," said Republican Sen. Kevin Cramer.