Marjorie Taylor Greene delays COVID stimulus vote, annoys Republicans
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Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene's vote to adjourn proceedings Wednesday drew criticism on both sides of the aisle after she delayed the House's vote on the $1.9 trillion COVID relief bill.
Why it matters: President Biden's relief bill passed along party lines after Greene protested the bill by using a procedural tactic to slow down the vote. Her procedural quagmires are adding to the conflict among Republicans in Congress.
Driving the news: Forty Republicans sided with Democrats by voting against her motion to adjourn.
- The number of Republican members opposing Greene's stall tactics have increased since February, and doubled in size since last week when the Georgia representative made a motion to adjourn.
What they're saying: "I'm tired of all the games and I just want to move along with the business of the government," Rep. Tom Rice (R-S.C.) told Axios.
- "Dilatory tactics work like salt, lightly sprinkled brings flavor, too much will ruin the meal," said Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-Wash.)
- “The GOP leadership has a strategy to retake the House in 2022 and the frequent calls for adjournment are not the plan," Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) said in a statement.
Most Republicans sided with Greene, though, and some defended her.
- "Anything to slow down the Democrats from destroying our country, I'm all for it," Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) told Axios before walking into the House chamber.
- “We only have so many levers in the minority,” Rep. Mike Garcia (R-Calif.) told reporters.
- After the COVID bill passed, Greene thanked the 149 Republicans who voted with her and referred to the dissenters as the "40 white flags of the Surrender Caucus" in a statement on Twitter.
Not a single Democrat voted in favor of Greene's motion, and some expressed annoyance with the procedural vote that delayed the House's debate on the COVID amendment by 30 minutes.
- "Part of our job is coming in here to do voting. When you come to Congress you soon realize the most precious thing you have is time. These procedural votes just done to mess with the system, I think, waste a lot of time and energy," Rep. Lou Correa (D-Calif.) told Axios.
- "Yes," said Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) when asked if she's mad about the procedural vote. "Because we're fighting for their constituents and they're not."
Editor's note: This story has been corrected to attribute a quote to Rep. Lou Correa, not Rep. Henry Cuellar.
