Marjorie Taylor Greene rages at Mike Johnson “funding the trans agenda”

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) continues to attack House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) for allowing a House vote on the $1.2 trillion government funding bill that President Joe Biden signed on Saturday.

Angry that Republicans were forced to vote on Democratic priorities like “funding the trans agenda,” as Greene put it, the far-right lawmaker filed a motion to oust Johnson, who has only held the role for a few months after the Republican party ousted its former speaker, Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA).

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During an appearance on the right-wing news network Real America’s Voice, Greene justified her decision to bring more chaos into Congress by saying GOP representatives “walked the plank” for Johnson during an election year by having to vote on the spending bill.

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“He has a duty and responsibility to care for our conference,” she said. “That means not force us to vote on full-term abortion, funding the trans agenda, DEI, funding $300 million to the Ukraine war, and many other horrific far left funding wish list items that the Democrats were thrilled with. He shouldn’t make us vote on that in order to pay our military soldiers. That’s outrageous.”

Voters “are fed up with speakers of the House and Republicans that go out and campaign and make all these promises and then turn around and stab their voters in the back, because that’s what Mike Johnson did on Friday,” she said.

Greene’s anger stems in part from the fact that the bill contained almost none of the over 40 anti-LGBTQ+ policy riders Republicans wanted and included funding for various organizations and programs that support LGBTQ+ people. One of those anti-LGBTQ+ riders would have barred TriCare, the military’s health care system, from reimbursing for gender-affirming care, while other riders banned various federal departments and agencies from having policies to protect LGBTQ+ workers.

The single anti-LGBTQ+ provision remaining in the bill prevents Pride flags from being flown over U.S. embassies in foreign countries, something that embassies can creatively work around. 

Additionally, Greene’s claim about “full-term abortion” – meaning abortions up to the point that the fetus can live outside of the birthing parent – is false. This is not legal anywhere in the United States.

Mike Johnson had a responsibility as the leader of the Republican conference to not force votes on full-term abortion funding, the trans agenda, DEI, more $$$ to Ukraine, and other horrific far-left wishlist items.

But Mike Johnson funded ALL of it! pic.twitter.com/LZ3c1g7Dhp

— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@RepMTG) March 26, 2024

Greene also refuted claims that her vendetta against Johnson could cause a Democrat to become speaker of the House. She instead blamed Rep. Ken Buck (R-CO) and Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI), who retired without time to hold special elections to fill their seats, leaving two previously held Republican seats vacant until 2025.

“This is simple math,” Greene said. “The more Republicans like Mike Gallagher that resign and leave early, guess what? That means we have less Republicans in the House. So every time a Mike Gallagher or a Ken Buck leaves early, that brings our numbers down and brings us dangerously closer to being in the minority.”

“It’s not Marjorie Taylor Greene that is saying the inconvenient truth and forcing everyone to wake up and realize Republican voters are done with us doing this kind of crap that we did last week,” she continued.

Greene said no matter what she would not be responsible should the House vote for Democratic Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (NY) to take Johnson’s spot. “That lies squarely, squarely on the shoulders of these Republicans that are leaving early because they don’t have the intestinal fortitude to handle the real fight and the responsibility that comes with leadership at the end of our republic,” she said, “when our country is nearly destroyed and when our constitution is being rammed through a paper shredder. So no one is going to blame that on me.”

On Twitter, Greene shared a post from an account called “MJTruthUltra” that attacked the omnibus spending bill for providing small grants to LGBTQ+ projects, including $850,000 for an LGBTQ+ inclusive senior home and $400,000 for a youth homeless shelter that also provides clothes to trans kids. There are many such grants, or earmarks, in the bill – even Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO), who voted against the bill, got millions in earmarks for her district in the bill – but the account seemed to care more about those related to LGBTQ+ people than others.

It’s unclear who Republicans might choose as Johnson’s replacement, seeing as Johnson was literally the fifth choice for Speaker. Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), who spearheaded McCarthy’s removal late last year, said that Jeffries could become the next speaker because of the Republicans’ slim House majority and infighting over party leadership.

“We’d have Republicans cross over. I worry that we’ve got Republicans who would vote for Hakeem Jeffries at this point. I really do,” Gaetz told NBC. “I take no joy in saying that. But you can only vacate the speaker if you know that the party leadership won’t change hands. I knew that with certainty last time. I don’t know it with certainty this time.”

Greene claimed on Real America’s Voice she would not be “irresponsible with this motion to vacate.”

“I will bring it to a floor vote at a time that I think is needed… But this is a pink slip. Johnson is on notice, and our conference needs a new speaker of the House.” 

Holding Mike Johnson accountable isn’t going to give us a speaker Jeffries.

What’s going to give us a speaker Jeffries is selfish Republicans like Mike Gallagher leaving Congress early.

It’s simple math! pic.twitter.com/jS4xDdkpUP

— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@RepMTG) March 26, 2024

Whenever the House formally recognizes Greene’s motion, it will have two days to consider whether to take action on it. 

Greene’s complaints about the bill reflect those of conservatives in the House Freedom Caucus. Caucus members had tried to use budget negotiations to end government funding of any entity that “promotes transgenderism” or provides gender-affirming care; any federal agencies pursuing policies to expand diversity, equality, and inclusivity (DEI); any legal consequences for federal contractors who discriminate against LGBTQ+ people but claim their religion made them do it; and any implementation of the Department of Education’s rules requiring schools to accommodate trans students.

“Our Republican majority is a complete failure,” Greene wrote in a Thursday post on X, expressing her disapproval of the spending bill. “Speaker Johnson is funding the government that has created this invasion,” she wrote alongside video footage of immigrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border. “I’m voting NO! SHUT IT DOWN!”