Last night, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene announced her upcoming resignation. We examine what led to this decision by Georgia Republicans and what it could mean for their party's narrow House majority.
SCOTT SIMON, HOST:
One of President Trump's most vocal critics in Congress says they're leaving. Marjorie Taylor Greene has said she will resign from her seat in the House of Representatives in the new year. The Georgia Republican was once one of the president's most ardent supporters, but the two fell out over the release of Epstein's files. NPR's Stephen Fowler profiled the career of Marjorie Taylor Greene. He joins us now from Atlanta. Thank you very much for being with us.
STEPHEN FOWLER, BYLINE: Good morning.
SIMON: What seems to have prompted her to resign?
FOWLER: Late Friday, Greene released an 11-minute video detailing her nearly five years in Congress. She marked her path as the embodiment of Trump's MAGA movement, touting the bills she passed and the ideas she championed. But mostly there was a pervasive disappointment in the president, her party, House leadership and the state of American politics.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
MARJORIE TAYLOR GREEN: Americans are being used by the political industrial complex of both political parties, election cycle after election cycle, to choose the side that can convince Americans to hate the other side more. And the results are always the same.
FOWLER: She's basically saying that she was elected to govern, and governing is something that Congress doesn't do.
SIMON: Of course, President Trump recently called Marjorie Taylor Greene a traitor for supporting the release of the Epstein files. He then signed the bill into law this week. How does Epstein's figure affect their relationship?
FOWLER: Well, since Trump has returned to office, there have actually been a number of policies and positions that have drawn criticism from some Republicans, particularly Greene, who said they're not in the spirit of America in the first place. When the US bombed Iran, MTG wondered how the foreign policy push benefited conservative, America-first views. She called Israel's war in Gaza a genocide and criticized America's support for Israel as not being an American priority. Trump's economic policies, tariffs, importing Argentine beef in an attempt to lower domestic prices – well, you get the idea.
As for the Epstein files, another factor is Trump's campaign promise to release files related to his life and death, as well as the numerous ways in which the president blocked release this year before finally relenting this week. Here's what she said in her video.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
GREENE: Standing up for American women who were raped at 14, trafficked and exploited by rich and powerful men shouldn't result in me being called a traitor and being threatened by the President of the United States for whom I fought.
FOWLER: Scott, that was basically the last straw.
SIMON: You mentioned her disappointment with Congress. Republicans, of course, have a slight majority there. Does this seem to have influenced her decision?
FOWLER: Absolutely. Jan. 5, the date of her resignation, falls just before the House of Representatives returns to work in 2026. Republicans have a slim majority so far, and Greene is implying that it is not being used to govern well and that she does not expect that majority to last long. Her statement also included a healthy dose of criticism that Speaker Mike Johnson kept the House shut down both before and during the government shutdown and did nothing, such as addressing health care subsidies.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
GREENE: The House should have met every day to fix this disaster. But instead, America was once again force-fed disgusting political drama from both sides on television every single day.
FOWLER: It's not just Marjorie Taylor Greene who wants to get out of Washington, Scott. She is one of a record 40 House members and 10 senators (mostly Republicans) who have said they do not plan to return to their seats after the 2026 elections, joining a number of other lawmakers who are retiring or running for another office.
SIMON: Does Marjorie Taylor Greene's decision indicate a broader direction for the Republican Party now – as you cover this topic?
FOWLER: Well, this isn't just a one-off fight with a member of Congress. Marjorie Taylor Greene is the canary in the GOP state coal mine. In this month's elections, Republicans were defeated on every ballot. Economic difficulties are not in their favor. And Greene has punched a very visible hole in the previously impenetrable armor that is Trump's control over the Republican Party and its future. There have always been questions about what the Republican Party will look like after Trump. We are now seeing this earlier and more complexly than Republicans had hoped.
SIMON: NPR's Stephen Fowler. Thank you.
FOWLER: Thank you.
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