As far-right House Republicans line up against the bipartisan budget deal, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene seems like exactly the sort of member who’d oppose the Fiscal Responsibility Act. After all, the right-wing Georgia congresswoman is one of the most radical lawmakers to serve on Capitol Hill in recent memory. If anyone is going to stand with GOP extremists, it’s her.
But it’s not quite working out that way. The Hill reported:
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) said Tuesday that she’s inclined to support the bipartisan debt ceiling proposal set to hit the House floor Wednesday, but she first wants to secure a commitment from GOP leaders to move several other proposals in the future, including the impeachment of President Biden or a top cabinet official.
While talking to reporters, the Georgian described the pending bill as a “s— sandwich,” which she might vote for anyway. “I’m a dessert girl,” Greene added. “Everyone loves dessert and that’s impeachment, someone needs to be impeached.”
In other words, as the congresswoman sees it, she’s prepared to grudgingly tolerate the “s— sandwich” now, with the expectation that she’ll receive a “beautiful dessert“ later — and that dessert would be “someone’s” impeachment vote.
Based on the reporting, it’s not altogether clear whether we’re looking at an explicit quid pro quo — trading a vote on the agreement today for an impeachment vote in the future — or an example of Greene’s wishful thinking, but either way, if she votes with her party’s leadership on the deal, we’ll know why.
As for who, exactly, would be the subject of the congresswoman’s impeachment crusade, Greene has a surprising number of possible targets. She is, after all, the only member of Congress to introduce five separate impeachment resolutions: Greene boasted to Steve Bannon last week that each of her impeachment resolutions have at least a few cosponsors, which is true, though it’s less impressive than it sounds: The totals range from three to six cosponsors per resolution. In other words, the right-wing Georgian managed to persuade a small handful of fellow radicals to formally endorse her misguided crusade. To be sure, none of these resolutions will go anywhere without House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s blessing. And while it seems difficult to imagine him going along with such nonsense and giving Greene the “dessert” she’s asking for, McCarthy has expressed some devotion to the congresswoman, so it’s a dynamic worth watching.
Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past."
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