House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said Thursday that he backs tactics used by first-term Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene to delay legislation moving on the House floor in the Democratic-majority chamber.
The Georgia Republican has no committee assignments after Democrats stripped them from her due to her support, before reaching Congress, of disproven conspiracy theories, including Pizzagate, QAnon, false-flag shootings, and 9/11 truthism. Even without her assignments, she’s captured headlines in recent weeks by pushing “motions to adjourn” the House when major bills are being considered, such as President Biden’s $1.9 trillion spending bill or gun control measures.
The motions to adjourn never stop bills’ passage, and House Republicans have increasingly opposed her on the procedural move. But House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said he stands by her efforts.
“They kicked her off all her committees,” the California Republican told reporters on Thursday. “Every member has a right to make the motion. People have disagreements on the strategy that’s the best used, but there’s a frustration on the floor.”
MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE SHRUGS OFF NEW THREAT FROM ‘MUSSOLINI’ DEMOCRAT
McCarthy described how Republicans are fed up with the new House rules that he says limit the minority’s ability to amend bills through motions to recommit, proxy voting, schedule changes, lack of committee mark-ups to amend legislation, and the fencing around the Capitol.
McCarthy said curtailing the motion to recommit was particularly offensive. The procedure, enacted just before a vote on a bill’s final passage, gives the minority party one last chance to “recommit” it to a House committee, ostensibly to improve it, but really to kill the measure.
“We never even thought of that when we were in the majority,” McCarthy said.
Democrats have become frustrated over Greene’s floor tactic and are considering stripping her of the privilege of calling motions to adjourn.
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Rhode Island Democratic Rep. David N. Cicilline confirmed to the Washington Examiner he is thinking about such a measure against Greene.
Greene responded, “When I heard that, I said, ‘You mean Mussolini,’” referring to the former Italian dictator and National Fascist Party leader Benito Mussolini.
