SCOTT SIMON, HOST:
One of President Trump's most outspoken critics in Congress says they're leaving. Marjorie Taylor Greene says she will resign from her seat in the House in the new year. The Georgia Republican was once among the president's fiercest champions, but they fell out over releasing the Epstein files. NPR's Stephen Fowler has covered Marjorie Taylor Greene's career. He joins us now from Atlanta. Thanks so much for being with us.
STEPHEN FOWLER, BYLINE: Good morning.
SIMON: What seems to have prompted her decision to resign?
FOWLER: Well, Greene put out an 11-minute video late Friday night that details the arc of her nearly five years in Congress. She outlined her path as the embodiment of Trump's MAGA movement, touted bills she passed and causes she championed. But mainly, there was this pervasive disappointment with the president, her party, the leadership of the House and the state of American politics.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE: Americans are used by the political industrial complex of both political parties election cycle after election cycle in order to elect whichever side can convince Americans to hate the other side more. And the results are always the same.
FOWLER: Basically, she says she was elected to govern, and govern is one thing that Congress isn't doing.
SIMON: Of course, recently, President Trump called Marjorie Taylor Greene a traitor for supporting the release of the Epstein files. Then he signed the bill into law this week. How does the figure of Epstein play into their relationship?
FOWLER: Well, since Trump returned to office, there've actually been a number of policies and positions that have garnered criticism from some Republicans, especially Greene, who said they're not in the spirit of America first. When the U.S. bombed Iran, there was MTG asking how the foreign policy push benefited conservative America-first views. She called Israel's war in Gaza a genocide and has criticized America's support of Israel as not being America-first. Trump's economic policies, tariffs, importing Argentine beef to try and lower domestic prices - well, you get the idea.
And on the Epstein files front, Trump's campaign promise to release the files related to his life and death and the numerous ways the president stonewalled the release this year before ultimately relenting this week is another factor. Here's what she said in her video.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
GREENE: Standing up for American women who were raped at 14 years old, trafficked and used by rich, powerful men should not result in me being called a traitor and threatened by the president of the United States, whom I fought for.
FOWLER: Scott, this was basically the last straw.
SIMON: You mentioned her disappointment with Congress. Republicans, of course, hold a narrow majority there. Did that seem to factor into her decision?
FOWLER: Absolutely. January 5, the day she'll resign, is right before the House returns to work in 2026. Republicans do have a narrow majority for now, and Greene hints that it's not being used to govern properly and that she doesn't expect that majority to last. There's also a healthy dose of criticism in her statement about Speaker Mike Johnson keeping the House out both before and during the government shutdown and not doing anything, like addressing health care subsidies.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
GREENE: The House should have been in session working every day to fix this disaster. But instead, America was force-fed disgusting political drama once again from both sides of the aisle on television every single day.
FOWLER: It is not just Marjorie Taylor Greene that wants to get out of Washington, Scott. She's one of a record 40 House members and 10 senators - mostly Republicans - who've indicated they don't plan to return to their seats after the 2026 election, joining a number of other lawmakers who are retiring or running for a different office.
SIMON: Does Marjorie Taylor Greene's decision indicate anything - 'cause you cover this beat - about the broader direction of the Republican Party now?
FOWLER: Well, it's not just a one-off fight with a member of Congress. Marjorie Taylor Greene is a canary in the coal mine for the state of the Republican Party. The Republicans suffered defeats up and down the ballot in this month's elections. Economic headwinds are not in their favor. And Greene has put a very visible dent in the previously impenetrable armor that is Trump's control over the GOP and its future. There was always going to be questions about what a post-Trump Republican Party would look like. We're now just seeing that sooner and messier than Republicans would've hoped for.
SIMON: NPR's Stephen Fowler. Thanks so much.
FOWLER: Thank you. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
