On March 6, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene strongly criticized her own party as she voted against a group of bills to provide money for many parts of the federal government.
“Republicans have no excuse for having brought this minibus forward,” the Georgia Republican said in a statement that day.
Greene’s Funding Flip-Flop
Two days after President Joe Biden signed a few government spending bills on March 9, Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene sent a press release explaining the amount of funding she supposedly “secured” in the measures for projects within her district.
However, the release didn’t add that Greene, a Republican, actually voted against these bills that are providing money for her constituents.
Greene’s Post-Vote Statement
After the vote, Greene mentioned that there was “no need” to vote on a minibus and blamed some members of her party for backing the measures.
“The Republicans promised the American people no more omnibuses, minibusses, CRs, and well, here they did it,” she added.
Bill Grants Biden Everything On His Wishlist
When contacted for a comment on Tuesday, Greene’s office referred to a statement she made to X, previously known as Twitter, after voting on the minibus, in which she stated that the amount was “higher” than what lawmakers had previously agreed upon.
“And this bill didn’t just increase spending, it gave Joe Biden and [Senate Majority Leader] Chuck Schumer everything they wanted on their wish list, and that is something I’ll always refuse to vote for,” Greene wrote.
Silver Linings In Greene’s Perspective
Greene listed several complaints, such as the six bills not getting individual votes, the amount of government spending, and the fact that it funds the Department of Justice.
However, that doesn’t imply there weren’t aspects in the bill that Greene found reason to celebrate. Indeed, within a week, she was doing just that.
Minibus Bill Positives For Greene
“Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene is proud to announce that she has successfully secured federal funding for seven different projects for Northwest Georgia,” her office said in a March 11 release, saying the congresswoman “meticulously sought out” the projects that received the funding.
This includes over $3.8 million for expanding an airport in Floyd County, $1.5 million for a water treatment facility in Dade County, and various other projects, totaling more than $9.3 million. Greene had arranged these projects as “earmarks” in the minibus bill she had criticized.
Whooping Sum Heading To Greene’s District
The congresswoman sought the funds for the projects through the Community Project Funding (CPF) process. Overall, about $9.3 million in federal money is going towards making improvements in Greene’s district because of the spending bills.
Greene’s office said in the release that she “meticulously sought out projects that would improve quality of life, increase economic and social development, assist localities with vital funding needs, and harness community support.”
Vote No, Take The Dough
The congresswoman’s tactic is labeled as “vote no, take the dough” by Democratic critics.
While Greene secured the funding by herself, one key goal of earmarks — officially known as congressionally directed spending — is that they grant individual lawmakers the opportunity to a stake in government funding legislation. This in turn increases the chances that they’ll vote for the bill.
Budget Battles: March Deadline Looms
Both Democratic and Republican congressional leaders collaborated to deliver a package of six spending bills, known as a minibus, to President Biden’s desk after months of political disputes and temporary funding extensions.
Another set of funding bills must still be approved by March 22 to prevent a partial government shutdown.
Republicans Making Similar Moves
In this scenario, Greene benefits from both sides, voting against the overall bill while still having accomplishments to brag about to her constituents. Similarly, 40 House Republicans have taken similar actions this month.
For instance, Rep. Lauren Boebert voted against over $20 million of her earmarks as she faces the fight of her political career in Colorado. She wrote in a press release on Monday that she “can’t wait for the ribbon cuttings” on the 10 projects that were signed into law as part of the spending bills.
Burchett’s Back-and-Forth: Voting Nay, Funding Yay!
There’s also Republican Rep. Tim Burchett who also got over $12 million in earmark funding for his district in East Tennessee. “Everything that we’ve asked for, I could defend,” Burchett said after the vote. “I don’t think you can defend some of that stuff that’s in there. It’s just too much.”
This included over $2.3 million for a health screening program at the University of Tennessee Medical Center, $2 million for an affordable housing project in Knoxville, and more than $2 million to set up a Healthcare Supply Chain Data Engineering Center at Lincoln Memorial University in Harrogate, a small town near the Kentucky border.
Burchett Cites Bill’s Outlay, Prefers Individual Votes
Yet Burchett was among the Republicans who voted against the bill, which included all of his earmarks. He referred to both the outlay of the bill and the fact that it was a package of six appropriation bills. To which he said that he’d prefer to vote on individually.
“There are things that are in there that I can’t support,” said Burchett. “And I just made that commitment to the folks back home.”
Two-Faced Republicans: Oppose The Bill And Embrace Funding From It
This isn’t the first time Republicans have opposed important federal funding bills, only to later embrace the money. In August, Biden criticized Boebert for voting against the Inflation Reduction Act but then celebrating the funds for a wind farm in her district.
Similarly, at least 14 Republicans voted against Biden’s $1.2 billion infrastructure bill, but later praised how it helped their districts. Among them are Senator John Cornyn, Representative Nancy Mace, and Senator Tommy Tuberville, whom Biden directly accused of being two-faced.
Overview Of $460 Billion Package
The $460 billion package that was approved includes funding for several departments, such as Agriculture, Commerce, Justice, Veterans Affairs, Energy, Interior, Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development.
Additionally, spending was approved for the Food and Drug Administration, military construction projects, amongst other federal programs. A total of 83 Republicans and two Democrats voted against the minibus on March 6. The measures passed the chamber with 339 votes split across both parties. The Senate approved the package two days later with a 75-22 vote.
