Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) stunned lawmakers on Capitol Hill this week after she criticized her own party for failing to extend Affordable Care Act subsidies that help keep insurance premiums stable for millions of Americans. The move caught both Republicans and Democrats off guard, as Greene has been one of the most vocal opponents of the ACA since entering Congress.
According to MSNBC, Greene’s comments came amid tense negotiations over reopening the federal government. Democrats had insisted that extending the ACA subsidies be part of any deal, a stance Republicans have largely opposed.
Greene stopped short of endorsing a full government shutdown but drew attention for appearing to side with Democrats on an issue she has long railed against. Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) joined MSNBC host Chris Hayes on Tuesday to discuss Greene’s unexpected comments.
Hayes asked whether Crockett had heard similar rumblings among Republicans about negotiating on the subsidies. “Not necessarily,” Crockett replied. “And I just talked to one of my Republican colleagues about 30 minutes ago because I was trying to find out if we were actually going to go back into session next week.
But I can tell you, we actually discussed that Marjorie was flipping on this because it seems like everything that is important, this child ain’t read the bill and has no idea of what’s going on.” Crockett continued, “I don’t understand why Georgia keeps sending her to D.C. But this is not the first time that she wasn’t quite clear on what damage it was that her party was ushering in.”
Greene’s shift reportedly came after learning that higher premiums would also affect her own family members. Crockett noted that while she welcomed Greene’s potential change of heart, the reasoning behind it seemed self-serving.
“I will take her seeing the light at any point in time,” Crockett said. “It’s sad that she can only see the light when it directly impacts her, because she is elected to represent almost a million people.”
Crockett added that personal motivation should not guide public policy decisions. “Listen, I’ll take a yes vote or somebody coming to the table, whatever way I can get it,” she said. “But I just don’t believe that’s how government is supposed to work. When I am governing, I am governing for the people that elected me, not because something personally impacts me.”
The debate over the ACA subsidies remains a sticking point as Congress works to resolve the budget impasse and avoid a prolonged government shutdown.