By Shane Croucher
Copyright newsweek
U.S. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene denied turning on Republicans and President Donald Trump after she broke with her party on expiring health care subsidies, the issue at the heart of the government shutdown dispute with the Democratic Party.
The Georgia Republican had said she was “not a fan” of the Obamacare subsidies, but was concerned about the rise in health insurance premiums for Americans that would follow from their expiration.
The Democratic Party is demanding an extension of the subsidies in exchange for votes to support a Republican stopgap funding bill to keep the government open for several weeks while bipartisan negotiations on appropriations take place.
Greene’s criticism illustrates the political sensitivity of the issue of health care costs—a large concern of American voters, one that Trump himself has tuned into—and may symbolize internal Republican pressure to come to a compromise with Democrats.
MTG: Listen to Why I Ran in the First Place
Noting the accusations that she was suddenly turning on Republicans and Trump, MAGA firebrand Greene posted to X on Wednesday morning: “Wrong. Listen to why I ran in the first place.”
She shared a 2023 video clip of her 60 Minutes interview in which Greene said she decided to run for Congress when she saw Republicans “completely fail to deliver the agenda that we had all voted for,” including the repeal of the Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare.
“I want Republicans to actually govern the way they campaign and solve problems plaguing the American people,” Greene wrote on X.
“MTG is suddenly turning on Republicans and Trump!”Wrong. Listen to why I ran in the first place.In April 2023, in a 60 Minutes interview, MTG said that the very reason she ran for Congress was seeing the “House and the Senate completely fail to deliver the agenda that we had… pic.twitter.com/1LWzJIvhAf— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@RepMTG) October 8, 2025
Speaker Johnson Says Greene ‘Not Read in’
House Speaker Mike Johnson had earlier rejected Greene’s criticism and said she was “probably not read in” because she does not serve on the relevant committees.
“There’s a lot of work that’s been done on that,” Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, said on Tuesday, Washington Times reported. “It’s implied as if this has been some sort of ignored issue. It’s not that at all.”
Johnson continued: “They’ve still been sort of in their silos, of the people who specialize in those issues. When we get the conference back and when everybody’s back together, we will go through a lot of that.”
U.S. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) speaks at a press conference alongside alleged victims of Jeffrey Epstein at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. on September 3, 2025, announcing the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which calls for the release of all unclassified documents in the Jeffrey Epstein case.
Greene Cites Children’s Experience
Greene had said she is “going to go against everyone” on the issue of health care subsidies despite her opposition to Obamacare “on this issue “because when the tax credits expire this year my own adult children’s insurance premiums for 2026 are going to DOUBLE, along with all the wonderful families and hard-working people in my district.”
“No I’m not towing the party line on this, or playing loyalty games. I’m a Republican and won’t vote for illegals to have any tax payer funded healthcare or benefits,” Greene posted to X on Tuesday.
“I’m AMERICA ONLY!!! I’m carving my own lane. And I’m absolutely disgusted that health insurance premiums will DOUBLE if the tax credits expire this year. Also, I think health insurance and all insurance is a scam, just be clear!
“Not a single Republican in leadership talked to us about this or has given us a plan to help Americans deal with their health insurance premiums DOUBLING!!!”
Updated, 10/8/2025, 9:40 a.m. ET: This article was updated with more information.