Do-nothing politicians are as American as America itself. Just as every generation believes that the kids are talking nonsense, or that things were better “when I was a kid,” politicians are an easy scapegoat for all of our problems.
The latter might be a cliché, but, for once, the statistics back up the feeling, as the 118th Congress is on track to be one of the least productive in history. If it wasn’t bad enough that Congress seems to be in a stalemate, it’s populated by some of the worst minds our country has to offer, like the infamous talking trashcan, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA).
The Georgia representative certainly has plenty of opinions which she can’t help but barf all over X on the regular while simultaneously insulting her colleagues, her opposition, and half of America. Her latest rant saw her taking shots at Speaker of the House Mike Johnson for actually trying to bridge the gap between Democrats and Republicans, which left her incensed at the very idea of bipartisanship.
“Speaker Johnson wants to get enough moderate Republicans on board with him and the Democrats so he doesn’t need the House Conservatives,” she wailed, outing herself as little more than a roadblock for progress.
“We represent the PEOPLE,” she continued, “We are not sent to Congress to go along and get along and manipulate our way into decades of power that only serve ourselves.” Her impassioned words left me wondering, behind all that bluster, there has to be an accomplished politician, right? Surely, ‘ol Marge has managed to accomplish something while in office?
What has Marjorie Taylor Greene accomplished while in office?
As of 2024, Marjorie Taylor Greene has represented Georgia’s 14th district for three years. Elected in 2021, the 50-year-old junior Congresswoman has had plenty of time to get a bill through Congress. The process — detailed in the unforgettable “I’m Just a Bill” by Schoolhouse Rock — can take some time. If you’d rather watch that rather than read the next few paragraphs to refresh the process, feel free.
A law starts as a simple idea penned into a bill, which is then given to a representative who sponsors it. The bill is then put before a committee, where it is discussed by members and amended before being voted on by the representatives. If it passes with a simple majority (218/435) it moves on to the Senate, where the process starts all over. All that to say, bills die on the Congressional floor all the time.
Over her career, and as of the time of writing, MTG has introduced 265 bills, 85 resolutions, 33 amendments, 24 joint resolutions, and six concurrent resolutions. It’s not an overly impressive number by any means. Fellow gas bag Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) has brought 570 bills to the floor since she took office in 2021, though only one was ever passed into law. With six bills made into law, Greene certainly has a better track record than her colleague, but most of what she has managed to pass has no bearing outside of her state.
- PAWS for Veterans Therapy Act
- To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 120 West Church Street in Mount Vernon, Georgia, as the “Second Lieutenant Patrick Palmer Calhoun Post Office.”
- To rename the Department of Veterans Affairs community-based outpatient clinic in Hinesville, Georgia, as the “John Gibson, Dan James, William Sapp, and Frankie Smiley VA Clinic.”
- To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 3900 Crown Road Southwest in Atlanta, Georgia, as the “John R. Lewis Post Office Building.”
- To award posthumously a Congressional Gold Medal, in commemoration to the servicemembers who perished in Afghanistan on August 26, 2021, during the evacuation of citizens of the United States and Afghan allies at Hamid Karzai International Airport, and for other purposes.
- To name the Department of Veterans Affairs community-based outpatient clinic in Columbus, Georgia, as the “Robert S. Poydasheff VA Clinic.”
It’s pretty easy to see that most of what Greene has accomplished is simply changing the names of post offices and Veteran Affairs buildings. She did, however, manage to pass a bill introducing a 5-year pilot program giving veterans with PTSD access to training for therapy dogs, as well as posthumously award medals to those killed during the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. You know, the stuff that makes anyone look good to their constituents.
MTG still has tons of bills that have passed the House and are now waiting in the Senate. Among their number are plenty of culture war talking point bills targeting abortion rights, oil production and reserves, deportation of immigrants, and multiple bills surrounding mask mandates and COVID -19 protocols. There are so many, it would be easy to accuse her of being obsessed with Dr. Fauci, the former head of the CDC, if she hadn’t already cemented her weird hate relationship with the man.
She has also managed to pass a few joint resolutions. Like bills, joint resolutions require approval in both the House and the Senate, but are sent to both floors simultaneously. Just like a bill, a resolution becomes law, though it can’t be a statute or act.
- Disapproving the action of the District of Columbia Council in approving the Revised Criminal Code Act of 2022.
- Relating to a national emergency declared by the President on March 13, 2020.
The first resolution prevented the District of Columbia from updating its criminal code, which has been stagnant since 1901, and reduced sentences as well as recodified existing criminal offenses. The second, though it sounds impressive, simply ended the National Emergency called 3 years prior, in March of 2020.
There is no denying that Greene is getting things done while in office. Maybe not the things one would expect from a member of Congress, but she gets them done anyway: she irritates thousands of Americans daily, rants like a professional boomer, and has heroically renamed so many Post Offices that she might as well campaign for Postmaster General.
Published: Aug 13, 2024 04:54 pm