Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) made a notable appearance on HBO's "Real Time with Bill Maher" on Friday, engaging in a wide-ranging discussion in which the conservative lawmaker openly criticized her own party's leadership.
Host Bill Maher initiated the conversation by highlighting Greene's recent breaks from the conventional Republican stance on issues like the Epstein files, the government shutdown, and healthcare.
Maher suggested that Greene's dissent defied the common perception of GOP lawmakers as "a** kissers" who simply fall in line, praising her willingness to speak out against certain party positions.
The central focus of the dialogue quickly shifted to the Affordable Care Act (ACA), often called Obamacare, and the looming expiration of key subsidies tied to the ongoing government funding standoff.
While Greene affirmed her long-standing opposition to the ACA, arguing it "crushed" the middle class and small business owners through unaffordable premiums -- citing her own family's monthly health insurance payment skyrocketing from $800 to over $2,400 -- her sharpest criticism was reserved for her Republican colleagues.
Greene voiced profound frustration over the GOP's inability to produce a viable replacement healthcare plan despite years of promising to repeal and replace the ACA.
"I'm waiting for the plan. I haven't seen it yet. That's been a lot of my angst," Greene stated, underscoring her demand for a clear policy alternative.
She blamed her own party for failing to address the fundamental problems within Obamacare. "The Democrats passed Obamacare, but yet the Republicans have never done anything to correct the problems that exist with it. And I blame my own party. That's absolutely wrong."
Greene also expressed immediate concern over the expected increase in premiums come January 2025, when temporary, COVID-era subsidies are set to expire.
She directly called out House Speaker Mike Johnson, lamenting that he "for a month now, cannot give me a single policy idea and I'm angry about that."
Panelist Michael Moynihan, co-host of The Fifth Column, concurred with Greene on the issue of rising costs and the nature of the subsidies, noting they merely "mask costs" rather than reducing them, a situation he said was common in both the ACA and private markets.
Moynihan agreed with Maher that the shutdown was currently based on the fight over these subsidies, acknowledging that failing to extend them would lead to significantly higher costs for millions.
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