Tag Archive for: Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene

Solar Picnic Tables? How The Federal Government Has Treated Your Tax Dollars With Utter Disdain

/in , , , , , , /by

The House Oversight Committee’s subpanel on government efficiency held a hearing Tuesday exposing billions of taxpayer dollars wasted annually on outdated federal buildings.

Republican Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who leads the Subcommittee on Delivering Government Efficiency (DOGE), opened the hearing by slamming federal agencies for maintaining a bloated real estate footprint. She pledged to continue pushing to “right-size” the federal government’s real estate portfolio.

“Here in D.C., [the Government Accountability Office] found in 2023 that the vast majority of federal agency headquarters buildings were less than 25% occupied — some much less,” Greene said. “Meanwhile, from 2022 to 2024, the backlog of deferred maintenance on the aging buildings the government owns grew from $216 billion to $370 billion. That’s more than one-third of a trillion dollars it will cost to restore them — if we don’t sell them.”

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has flagged federal property management as a “high-risk” area since 2003. Yet despite two decades of warnings, the Biden administration allowed billions to be spent not only to maintain vacant offices but also on lavish furniture purchases, according to the subcommittee’s review.

Greene highlighted early Trump administration moves, including canceling nearly 700 federal leases totaling 7.9 million square feet of space — moves she said saved taxpayers around $400 million. One such canceled lease was a 15-year, quarter-billion-dollar agreement for luxury office space on Pennsylvania Avenue, signed by the Biden administration to house Voice of America and the U.S. Agency for Global Media. The building, Greene said, had zero broadcasting capabilities, and taxpayers would have been on the hook for another $130 million in renovations.

John Hart, CEO of the watchdog group OpenTheBooks, framed the issue in visceral terms.

“Today’s expansive, excessive and sometimes opulent federal real estate portfolio is both a monument to the administrative state and a mausoleum of lost dreams, opportunity and freedom for American taxpayers,” Hart said in his opening statement. “Do federal employees need seven figures worth of abstract modern art to make the government run?”

Hart testified that agencies spent $4.6 billion on furniture since FY 2021, including $284,000 on FEMA conference rooms and nearly $120,000 on leather recliners for the U.S. embassy in Islamabad. Hart also cited the $238,000 the CDC spent on solar-powered picnic tables which, by the agency’s own social distancing rules, “should have sat unoccupied,” he said.

David Marroni of the GAO echoed the concern over dysfunction and inertia inside the federal property apparatus.

“The pandemic shined a spotlight on these long-standing problems,” Marroni told lawmakers. “The federal government has held on to too much space and has been too slow in shedding underused properties … Progress has been slow. Agencies were in a wait-and-see mode for too long.”

Marroni said that, for the first time, agencies are being forced to begin tracking actual building utilization data starting this summer.

Democrats on the panel said the Trump administration’s rapid disposal plan was ideologically driven and economically reckless.

“I think it’s very clear that part of the agenda here is really about dismantling the administrative state and using real assets of the federal government to do that,” Democratic New Mexico Rep. Melanie Stansbury, the ranking member of the subcommittee, said in the hearing. “The point here is that things are not always as they appear in Washington, D.C., and I think it’s very clear that this is not about the federal taxpayers and the American people. This is about disposing of federal property and a fire sale to make the wealthy more wealthy. Thanks.”

Republicans fired back. Texas Rep. Pat Fallon cited GAO findings that 17 of the 24 largest federal agencies used less than 25% of their office capacity. Republican South Carolina Rep. William Timmons said the goal was to offload waste and inject new life into dead office space. They cited reforms under the Federal Property Management Act and the Federal Assets Sale and Transfer Act of 2016 as a roadmap for future consolidation.

“I guarantee you that a developer — a big bad developer — is going to come in,” Timmons said. “They’ll build this massive building, put housing in it and pay taxes. That’s the highest and best use.”

Greene said the DOGE subcommittee intends to introduce legislation aimed at streamlining the disposal process for surplus federal property and imposing stricter accountability measures for future real estate acquisitions. She also said the subcommittee would work closely with the White House and the GAO to accelerate selloffs and lease terminations.

AUTHOR

Thomas English

Comtributor.

RELATED ARTICLES:

Senate Continues Dismantling Biden’s Green Energy Agenda By Voting To Repeal Gas Water Heater Ban

‘Do Not Respond’: Trump Press Sec Confirms They Ignore Reporters With Pronouns In Email Signatures

EXCLUSIVE: Possible GOP Senate Candidate’s Bill Takes Aim At ‘Rogue Regulators’

‘The Party Has Been Taken Over’: Doug Schoen Tells Harris Faulkner ‘Far Left’ Made Democratic Party ‘Unrecognizable’

EDITORS NOTE: This Daily Caller column is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.

All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.

 

Marjorie Taylor Greene Reveals Plan To Oust Speaker Mike Johnson

/in , , , , , , , , /by

Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene announced on Wednesday that she will call for a vote to oust House Speaker Mike Johnson next week.

Greene initially filed a motion to vacate in late March over disagreements with Johnson’s latest appropriations plan. The Georgia Republican detailed her plan to advance her efforts to remove Johnson during a press conference following the House’s passage of Ukraine aid.

“I think every member of Congress needs to take that vote and let the chips fall where they may. And so next week, I am going to be calling this motion to vacate,” Green said. “We are not going to have a House majority if we keep Mike Johnson.” 

Johnson released a statement following Greene’s announcement, arguing that “this motion is wrong for the Republican Conference, wrong for the institution, and wrong for the country.”

Politico reported Wednesday that Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairman Michael Whatley had attempted to dissuade Greene from going through with the vote.

“He said, one, this is not helpful, and two, we want to expand and grow the majority in the House,” said a person familiar with Whatley’s message to Greene, per Politico. “He was clear that any disruption to the conference on these efforts — including filing this [motion to vacate], does not help the case for party unity.”

House Democratic leadership announced on Tuesday they’d help save Johnson if Greene moved forward with her motion to vacate after he helped advance the national security supplemental.

“At this moment, upon completion of our national security work, the time has come to turn the page on this chapter of Pro-Putin Republican obstruction,” the Democrats said. “We will vote to table Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s Motion to Vacate the Chair. If she invokes the motion, it will not succeed.”

AUTHOR

MARY LOU MASTERS

Contributor.

RELATED ARTICLES:

Five Times Mike Johnson Betrayed GOP Voters — And Gave Biden Easy Wins

House Dems Vow To Tank MTG’s Bid To Oust Republican Speaker Mike Johnson

EDITORS NOTE: This Daily Caller column is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.

All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.

Third Republican Announces Support for Ousting Johnson as House Speaker

/in , , , , , , , /by

A third House Republican has announced he will co-sponsor a motion to vacate introduced by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., that, if passed, would end Mike Johnson’s tenure as House speaker after fewer than six months.

If all 213 House Democrats vote in support of the motion to remove Johnson, R-Ky., as speaker, only three Republicans would need to cross over for the motion to carry, 216-215, once Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., resigns, as he plans to do imminently.

Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., announced that he would join the Georgia Republican’s effort to oust Johnson, saying in a written statement:

[R]ather than spending the resources to secure our southern border and combating the invasion of 11 million illegals and despite repeated promises there would be no additional money going to Ukraine without first securing our border, the United States House of Representatives, under the direction of the speaker, is on the verge of sending another $61 billion to further draw America into an endless and purposeless war in Ukraine.

“Our border cannot be an afterthought,” Gosar added. “We need a speaker who puts America first rather than bending to the reckless demands of the warmongers, neo-cons and the military industrial complex making billions from a costly and endless war half a world away.”

Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., announced earlier this week he supports Greene’s motion to vacate.

Gosar’s decision comes as Johnson relied on House Democrats’ votes to pass a series of foreign aid bills opposed by many conservative Republicans.

Johnson brushed off the threat of Greene’s motion to vacate Wednesday, saying: “I am not resigning. And it is in my view an absurd notion that someone would bring a vacate motion when we are simply here trying to do our jobs.”

Johnson became House speaker in October after the ouster from the post of his predecessor, former Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., by a motion to vacate. The Kentucky Republican has faced increasing pressure from conservatives in the House.

Johnson continues to have the support of former President Donald Trump, who said Johnson is doing a “very good job” when the two appeared together April 12 at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home in Florida.

“I stand with the speaker,” Trump said.

Johnson was elected House speaker with the votes of 220 Republicans. His predecessor, McCarthy, was removed as speaker after eight Republicans and all Democrats voted against him.

Since Johnson became speaker, McCarthy and Rep. Ken Buck, R-Colo., have resigned and left Congress. Former Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., was expelled in a House vote, and Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., plans to resign soon.

When Gallagher leaves office, that will leave 217 Republicans and 213 Democrats, a razor-thin Republican majority.

Jarrett Stepman contributed to this report.

AUTHOR

EDITORS NOTE: This Daily Signal column is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.

The Daily Signal depends on the support of readers like you. Donate now

WATCH: Marjorie Taylor Greene ROCKS The House, Calls Out The Communists In Charge

/in , , , , , , /by

I’m shook.

Watch this woman.

In addition, Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene has criticized Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell over a deal which paved the way for Congress to raise the debt ceiling.

“The House of Representatives is voting after midnight tonight because @LeaderMcConnell allowed Democrats to bi-pass the filibuster and ram through the debt ceiling increase to $31.5 TRILLION,” she tweeted. “Mitch is Biden’s b*tch.”

As of Wednesday morning, her tweet had been liked more than 11,000 times and retweeted nearly 4,000 times.

Rep. MTG calls out the “communists” in charge from the House floor! – [VIDEO]

The Right Scoop • December 15, 2021:

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene called out the “communists” in charge of House and the January 6th committee:

“We’ve heard a lot about text messages. I’d like the Democrats and the people on the January 6th committee to produce their text messages, Mr. Speaker, denouncing Antifa, BLM riots that raged across American cities for a year. I would love to read those.

But instead we saw Democrats encourage, incite, and continue to call these riots peaceful. And then when they got arrested and put in jail, they bailed them out so they could go out and riot some more.

I rise in opposition to this resolution to hold Mark Meadows in contempt of Congress because it’s being held by nothing but a kangaroo court. Congress’ job is to make laws, not enforce them. That’s the role of the Executive and the Judicial Branch of this government.

But somehow the communists here in charge have forgotten – or no, not forgotten, are purposefully abusing the Constitution and what this body of Congress is supposed to do.

You see when we go to this level, to the point where we’re forgetting and abusing what our power is, then the American people will trust us no more. And that is exactly what the January 6th committee is doing.”

I love how MTG isn’t afraid to speak her mind and I’m more than certain the left will be outraged that she called them communists on the House floor. But if water is truly wet, you can bet Kevin McCarthy will join the chorus condemning MTG for calling Pelosi and her henchmen ‘communists’.

RELATED ARTICLES:

Husband of Biden’s Commerce Secretary is Top Executive at Firm Funded by Chinese Government

Schumer, Who Accused President Trump of Russian Collusion, is Getting Paid by Putin

RELATED VIDEO: Jim Jordan UNLEASHES on the Democrats.

EDITORS NOTE: This Geller Report column is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.

Quick note: Tech giants are shutting us down. You know this. Twitter, LinkedIn, Google Adsense, Pinterest permanently banned us. Facebook, Google search et al have shadow-banned, suspended and deleted us from your news feeds. They are disappearing us. But we are here. We will not waver. We will not tire. We will not falter, and we will not fail. Freedom will prevail.

Subscribe to Geller Report newsletter here — it’s free and it’s critical NOW when informed decision making and opinion is essential to America’s survival. Share our posts on your social channels and with your email contacts. Fight the great fight.

Follow me on Gettr. I am there, click here. It’s open and free.

Remember, YOU make the work possible. If you can, please contribute to Geller Report.

FASCISM: Democrat Introduces Resolution to Expel GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene

/in , , , , , /by

This is the most radical and unhinged Congress we have ever seen. They are turning this country into Venezuela. Rational Americans must come out in droves for the mid-term elections, and vote the Democrat Party out of office.

Democrat introduces resolution to expel GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene

By CNN, March 20, 2021

Democratic Rep. Jimmy Gomez of California formally introduced a resolution Friday to expel Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene from Congress, suggesting that she “advocated violence against our peers, the Speaker and our government.”

“I take no joy in introducing this resolution, but any member who cites political violence and threatens our lives must be expelled,” Gomez said Friday. “I believe some of my Republican colleagues, and one in particular, wish harmed upon this legislative body. I’m not saying this for shock value. It’s the conclusion I drew after a member of Congress advocated violence against our peers, the speaker and our government.”

Under the Constitution, the House of Representatives has the power to expel any member with a two-thirds vote, but it’s not expected there would be the votes for that, especially among Republican members. Still, the support for the resolution does illustrate the rancor and divisiveness that has taken root in the House since the riots on January 6 and the storming of the Capitol.

In February, the House voted to remove Greene from her committee assignments, a decisive step that came in the wake of recently unearthed incendiary and violent past statements from the congresswoman that triggered widespread backlash from Democrats and divided congressional Republicans.

House Democrats, who control the chamber, set up the vote after first attempting to pressure Republicans to strip the Georgia Republican of committee assignments on their own. House Republicans did not take that action, however.

Greene defended herself ahead of the vote in a speech on the House floor and attempted to distance herself from the dangerous and debunked QAnon conspiracy theory, which she has previously embraced.

Outrage over Greene grew more intense in Congress in the wake of a report from CNN’s KFile that she repeatedly indicated support for executing prominent Democratic politicians in 2018 and 2019 before being elected to Congress.

The Georgia Republican has also faced backlash over recently resurfaced comments about the 2018 Parkland school shooting.

In a statement to CNN, Greene said “House Democrats have declared war on House Republican Women,” adding that “Democrats are trying overturn the will of the People who voted for both myself and Congresswoman Miller-Meeks.”

Here are the 72 Democrats who support the resolution:

Jake Auchincloss, Joyce Beatty, Earl Blumenauer, Jamaal Bowman, Brendan Boyle, Tony Cárdenas, André Carson, Matt Cartwright, Kathy Castor, Joaquin Castro, Judy Chu, Yvette Clarke, Steve Cohen, Gerald E. Connolly, Jim Cooper, Lou Correa, Jason Crow, Rosa L. DeLauro, Mark DeSaulnier, Ted Deutch, Veronica Escobar, Anna G. Eshoo, Adriano Espaillat, Dwight Evans, Bill Foster, Ruben Gallego, Jesús G. “Chuy” García, Raúl M. Grijalva, Alcee L. Hastings, Jahana Hayes, Eleanor Holmes Norton, Jared Huffman, Pramila Jayapal, Mondaire Jones, Robin Kelly, Ro Khanna, Ann McLane Kuster, John B. Larson, Barbara Lee, Alan Lowenthal, A. Donald McEachin, Jerry McNerney, Grace Meng, Seth Moulton, Grace F. Napolitano, Marie Newman, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Bill Pascrell, Jr., Donald M. Payne, Jr., Scott Peters, Ayanna Pressley, Kathleen M. Rice, Jan Schakowsky, Albio Sires, Adam Smith, Darren Soto, Marilyn Strickland, Eric Swalwell, Dina Titus, Rashida Tlaib, Ritchie Torres, Lori Trahan, David Trone, Juan Vargas, Nydia M. Velázquez, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Maxine Waters, Bonnie Watson Coleman, Susan Wild, Nikema Williams, Frederica S. Wilson.

EDITORS NOTE: This Geller Report column is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved. Quick note: Tech giants are snuffing us out. You know this. Twitter, LinkedIn, Google Adsense permenently banned us. Facebook, Twitter, Google search et al have shadowbanned, suspended and deleted us from your news feeds. They are disappearing us. But we are here. Help us fight. Subscribe to Geller Report newsletter here — it’s free and it’s critical NOW more than ever. Share our posts on social and with your email contacts.