Marjorie Taylor Greene wants to ‘defund’ the entire state of New York over the Trump verdict
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene wants to cut all federal funding to the US’s fourth-most-populous state.
The Georgia Republican said she would push House Speaker Mike Johnson to “defund” the state of New York after former President Donald Trump was convicted Thursday of 34 felony charges related to “hush money” payments he made to the porn star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election.
She made the remarks Saturday during an interview with Steve Bannon on the TV channel Real America’s Voice.
“I think the American people have turned a corner after they watched that conviction come down in New York, to the point where it’s like, you know what? Screw New York,” Greene said. “New York doesn’t deserve a damn penny. We shouldn’t fund them one single dime.”
Home to 19.6 million people, the state benefited from $383 billion in federal spending in fiscal year 2022, according to a report from the state’s comptroller.
It’s safe to say that Greene’s push will not become a reality. The Georgia congresswoman has little formal power in the House, as her recent push to oust Johnson demonstrated.
Plus, her GOP colleagues from New York — many of whom rely on the federal funding they’ve secured to make their cases for reelection — aren’t going to stand for it.
There’s also an apparent contradiction to Greene’s push: Georgia, her state, is home to one of the four criminal cases against Trump.
The congresswoman has touted the federal funding she’s brought back to her district in the past — despite voting against the bill that provided it — and it’s difficult to imagine her pushing for all federal funds to be cut off to Georgia.
However, Greene’s radical brand of politics is still influential among certain corners of the right, and other hard-right Republicans could embrace similar positions amid anger over the Trump conviction.