Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia escalated her criticism of Senate Republicans this week, accusing them of “playing games” with the government shutdown instead of deploying the procedural tools available to them to reopen the government on their own terms.
“If Republican Senators wanted to pass the CR [continuing resolution] and reopen the government they could, by using the nuclear option to override the 60 vote rule and pass the CR with a simple majority vote,” Ms. Greene wrote on X, the social platform formerly known as Twitter.
Her demand comes three days after federal funding lapsed, leaving agencies shuttered while the Senate repeatedly failed to approve the House-passed stopgap measure. That bill — a so-called “clean” continuing resolution — would extend funding until November 21, buying time for Congress to debate a broader appropriations package.
The measure cleared the House last month with Republican support, but has stalled in the Senate at least three times. While a handful of Democrats have crossed the aisle in favor of the proposal, the GOP remains short of the five additional votes needed to overcome the chamber’s 60-vote threshold.
Ms. Greene argued that Republicans have the numbers to move forward without compromise. “We have 53 [Republican] Senators,” she wrote, suggesting that a majority should be sufficient to keep the government open. “This is what I have proposed all along, only I would like Congress to pass new Republican appropriation bills, instead of [continuing resolutions], and use the nuclear option to pass them through the Senate.”
The “nuclear option” — the term for bypassing the Senate’s filibuster rule with a simple majority — has been used before, most notably by Republicans to confirm dozens of President Trump’s judicial nominees. Ms. Greene said the precedent proves that GOP leadership has the tools to act if they choose. “The Senate knows how to do it,” she noted pointedly.
So far, Senate Republicans have resisted that path, citing the risk of long-term damage to bipartisan relations in the chamber. But the patience of House conservatives appears to be wearing thin, especially as the shutdown drags on and voters grow frustrated with Washington gridlock.
The continuing resolution at issue reflects the Republican-led House’s approach: keep the government funded in the short term while maintaining leverage for larger negotiations on spending cuts and priorities. Supporters argue this strategy positions the GOP to pursue fiscal restraint without immediate disruption to federal services.
Yet, with the Senate deadlocked and leadership signaling little appetite for procedural escalation, Ms. Greene has emerged as one of the most vocal advocates for using every tool available. Her remarks underscore a broader divide within the Republican Party — between those who favor procedural hardball to advance conservative spending plans and those more cautious about breaking Senate norms.
As the Senate prepares to vote again Friday, Ms. Greene’s words reflect growing frustration from conservatives who see the Republican majority hesitating to seize its full power. For now, the government remains closed, and the question is whether Senate Republicans will heed her call to act decisively — or continue negotiating under the familiar constraints of the 60-vote rule.
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