Republicans own shutdown and soaring healthcare costs

First published in the Brunswick Beacon, 11.06.25

Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) is living proof that even a stopped clock is right twice a day. Greene sounded the alarm on two Republican fiascos: shutting down the government and sending healthcare prices through the roof.

Greene and Democrats urged Republicans to extend existing tax credits for 50 million Americans who have healthcare thanks to the Affordable Care Act. Greene explained, “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.”

When House Speaker Mike Johnson and the Republican caucus shut down the government rather than extend existing healthcare credits, Greene called them out: “I’m not towing the party line on this.”

Greene says Republican leadership isn’t just refusing to help Democrats fix healthcare: they’re lying. When Johnson said Republicans are “working around the clock every day to fix healthcare,” Greene blew the whistle on Republican lies: “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!!!”

Greene says it’s bad policy and bad politics, too. “I don’t think it’s good advice that Republicans ignoring the health insurance crisis is gonna be good for midterms,” she said.

Greene also exposed Johnson’s lie about who’s to blame for the shutdown. She pointed out that the Republican Senate could simply scrap the 60-vote filibuster and reopen the government. When Johnson claimed they couldn’t, Greene replied, “They just did it! I sent him the article about them doing it yesterday,” referring to Republicans’ Sept. 11 vote to scrap the filibuster so they could confirm a bunch of Trump’s nominees with a single, party-line vote. “The Republican Party is failing,” said Greene.

Even Marjorie Taylor Greene knows what time it is. It’s time for Republicans to extend healthcare tax credits and reopen government.

Janine Sacramone

Leland