White House Responds to Greene's Government Funding Threat

Leah Barkoukis | September 01, 2023 7:30 AM

The White House lashed out at Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene for vowing to vote against any government funding bill if the House does not vote on an impeachment inquiry into President Biden.

“The last thing the American people deserve is for extreme House members to trigger a government shutdown that hurts our economy, undermines our disaster preparedness, and forces our troops to work without guaranteed pay,” spokesperson Andrew Bates said in a statement.

Speaking to her constituents on Thursday, Greene also tied her vote to other issues, including stopping funding for the war in Ukraine, ending funding for the “Biden regime’s weaponized government,” and eliminating all COVID vaccine mandates.

Tonight, I made an announcement directly to my constituents at my Floyd County Town Hall.

I will not vote to fund the government if Congress doesn’t do this:

- Impeachment Inquiry vote on Joe Biden
- Defund Biden’s weaponization of government
- Eliminate all COVID vaccine and… pic.twitter.com/2WXd4CrV7R
— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@RepMTG) August 31, 2023

“I will be happy to work with all my colleagues. I will work with the Speaker of the House. I will work with everyone. But I will not fund those things. And I thought it was most important for me to tell you all first, because I work for you,” Greene said. “And that’s what we have to do.”

Bates said the GOP shouldn't cave "to the hardcore fringe of their party" when it comes to government funding.

“The House Republicans responsible for keeping the government open already made a promise to the American public about government funding, and it would be a shame for them to break their word and fail the country because they caved to the hardcore fringe of their party in prioritizing a baseless impeachment stunt over high stakes needs Americans care about deeply – like fighting fentanyl trafficking, protecting our national security, and funding [the Federal Emergency Management Agency],” Bates said.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer both agree a short-term continuing resolution will be necessary to fund the government after Sept. 30. The Republican leader has tried arguing that a government shutdown would affect ongoing inquiries into the Biden family.

“If we shut down, all the government shuts it down — investigation and everything else,” McCarthy said Sunday on Fox News. “It hurts the American public.”