Marjorie Taylor Greene Issues Ultimatum to Congress

Georgia Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene has set out her demands for Congress to vote on a short-term measure that would fund the federal government and avoid a partial shutdown by October 1.

The congresswoman, a supporter of Donald Trump, told constituents gathered at an event at Floyd County Town Hall in Georgia on Thursday that she "will not vote to fund the government" unless Congress enacts a series of measures she's been pushing for months now, including President Joe Biden's impeachment.

On Thursday, the White House asked Congress to approve a short-term continuing resolution that will keep government funding at current levels and avoid a potential shutdown on September 30. The move would be considered a temporary solution as Congress and the White House continue to negotiate over longer-term appropriation bills.

A month before this crucial deadline, Congress has passed only one of the 12 bills necessary to fund the government, according to Reuters.

"It is clear that a short-term continuing resolution (CR) will be needed next month," an Office of Management and Budget spokesperson said in a statement on Thursday. "OMB is providing Congress with technical assistance needed to avoid severe disruptions to government services in the first quarter of the fiscal year."

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has expressed openness to a short-term deal, saying, "I think we're going to end up with a short-term congressional resolution, probably into December as we struggle to figure out exactly what the government's spending level is going to be."

But Greene—who stood by McCarthy during his hotly-contested speaker election earlier in the year though this caused her the loss of support from the Freedom Caucus—said she'll only support the continuing resolution if Congress goes after Biden.

Newsweek has contacted Greene's spokesperson for comment by email on Friday.

"I've already decided. I will not vote to fund the government unless we have passed an impeachment inquiry on Joe Biden," she said to applause from the audience.

"I will not fund the government because I will not fund the weaponized part of the government. I'm not going to continue to fund the Biden regime's weaponized government. There should be no funding for Jack Smith, Special Counsel," she said, referring to the prosecutor investigating two cases for which Trump has been indicted this year.

"We have to fire David Weiss who is protecting Hunter Biden on his special counsel, and we have to rein in the FBI. I will not vote for money to go towards these things. I will not vote for continuing resolutions that fund mask mandates, vaccine mandates, and COVID, because that is over. Joe Biden even declared COVID is over. And lastly—my red line in the sand has always been—I will not vote to fund a war in Ukraine, we have to have peace."

Finally, she said: "I will be happy to work with all of my colleagues, I will work with the Speaker of the House, I will work with everyone, but I will not fund these things."

In a post published on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Thursday, Greene shared a clip of her speech and listed her demands again: "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 mandates - No funding for the war in Ukraine."

The looming deadline adds pressure to the already tense situation between the White House and the Republican-controlled House, which has been pushing to cut spending unlikely to then pass through the Democratic-led Senate.