Greene, Clyde threaten to shut down government over Biden probe as Congress returns to DC
Federal funding to expire Sept. 30
A pair of conservative U.S. lawmakers from North Georgia are threatening to shut down the federal government this month unless their demands are met during negotiations.
Congress is set to return from August recess this week with a long to-do list, topped by passing a funding agreement by the end of the month to keep Washington’s lights on.
U.S. Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Rome) and Andrew Clyde (R-Athens) are using the September 30 deadline as leverage to push key conservative priorities, including launching an impeachment investigation into President Joe Biden and withholding funding from the prosecutors overseeing investigations into former President Donald Trump.
Greene is already escalating tensions, telling supporters at a town hall last week that she will not vote to fund the government “unless we have passed an impeachment inquiry on Joe Biden.”
“I will not vote for a continuing resolution that funds mask mandates, vaccine mandates and COVID,” she continued. “Because that is over.” She also said that she would not support additional aid to Ukraine in their ongoing war with Russia.
Clyde, who serves on the powerful Appropriations Committee, plans to submit language that will “defund” the prosecution of any presidential candidate before the 2024 election.
“The American people are sick and tired of all talk and no action,” Clyde said in an interview. “I am in a position to act upon this.”
Greene’s and Clyde’s threats will surely cause headaches for Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who only has a five-vote majority in the U.S. House. But his actions during this negotiating period will give us an idea of who might be influencing his decision-making.
Clyde has been a pain in McCarthy’s side for a while now. Back in January, he was one of a handful of conservative House Republicans who fought to derail McCarthy’s path to the Speaker’s dais. He also voted against the deal between McCarthy and Biden to raise the debt ceiling through 2025.
Greene, on the other hand, has established a reputation as the “McCarthy Whisperer,” having become one of the Speaker’s closest allies. She supported him throughout his turbulent journey to the Speakership last January, and she also emerged as a key negotiator during the debt limit talks last spring. Her close relationship with the Speaker has frustrated many of her colleagues — she was apparently booted from the far-right House Freedom Caucus after a verbal confrontation with another member on the House floor.
McCarthy was initially hesitant to support impeaching Biden but he has reportedly been whipping votes to open an investigation as lawmakers prepare to return from recess. As mentioned before, the Speaker can only afford to lose five votes. And several swing-district Republicans are still opposed to impeachment.
Looming over it all could be McCarthy’s job. Upon being elected Speaker, McCarthy made several concessions to members on his right flank. Among them: a motion that would allow one member to call for a vote to oust the Speaker at any time. Some members floated the idea during the debt limit talks but backed down after they failed to gain traction.
Nevertheless, Speaker McCarthy is bracing for a fight.
“In recent weeks, McCarthy has tried to use the right’s desire to investigate and impeach Biden as part of his argument against a shutdown, warning that their probes into the administration would have to come to a halt if the government were to shut down.”
The last government shutdown was in late 2018. The 35-day standoff, which remains the longest shutdown in U.S. history, stemmed from then-President Trump’s push to secure funding for a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border, a key campaign promise.
Greene serves no useful purpose. She is simply in the way. Vote 💙