Democrats find unlikely ally in MTG on Obamacare issue in shutdown fight

Democrats Tuesday claimed they have grabbed the political upper hand in the fight over the government shutdown as Republican cracks are emerging on skyrocketing health insurance costs.

House Minority Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries spotlighted comments by outspoken right-wing Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Georgia) that she is “absolutely disgusted” by her own party’s refusal to negotiate an extension of subsidies for the Obamacare program.

“Tens of millions of Americans are about to experience dramatically increased health insurance costs,” Jeffries told reporters on Capitol Hill. “A growing number of Republicans are adopting the enlightened Democratic view that this is unacceptable.”

Flanked by a posterboard depicting Greene’s tweet about the shutdown, Jeffries said the American public supports the Democratic position that the GOP must negotiate over the Obamacare issue immediately to prevent many plans from doubling in cost as soon as open enrollment starts in November.

“Hold onto your hats…Greene is absolutely right,” Sen. Chuck Schumer, the Democratic minority leader, added in a speech on the Senate floor.

Greene broke ranks with Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson, who has insisted Democrats must rubber stamp a GOP stopgap spending measure before they agree to any talks on health costs.

The MAGA loyalist insisted she will refuse to “(toe) the party line or play loyalty games.”

“It is absolutely shameful, disgusting, and traitorous … that the government is shut down right now fighting over basic issues like this,” Greene tweeted.

“Americans (are) literally destroyed by health insurance and healthcare costs,” she added.

House Speaker Mike Johnson brushed off the criticism, saying Greene is “probably not read that in on some of that.”

The government shutdown started last week when Senate Democrats refused to back the Republican measure to extend funding until the week before Thanksgiving without concessions on health care costs. Both sides are dug in and there is no sign of a resolution anytime soon.

President Trump has threatened to lay off thousands of federal workers and has started seeking to punish Democratic states by cutting infrastructure funds.

He also raised the stakes Tuesday by warning that some or all of government workers furloughed during the shutdown may not receive back pay as they did in all previous shutdowns.

He denounced Democrats for the shutdown, calling it a “kamikaze attack” on the nation during an unrelated White House meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Jay Carney.

Polls say Americans mostly blame Trump and Republicans for the shutdown by a significant margin, suggesting the Democratic message is resonating with the public.

Democrats have so far remained mostly united behind party leaders’ position that they will only vote to fund the government if Trump and Republicans negotiate a deal on Obamacare premiums.

Jeffries mocked Johnson for claiming that Republicans always planned to find a resolution to the problem of expiring Obamacare tax credits in October, noting that GOP leaders could have dealt with the issue anytime this year or included it in their sprawling One Big Beautiful Bill, which cut billions in Medicaid funding.

“If you’re planning to deal with it, let’s do it right now,” Jeffries said. “We’re ready.”

©2025 New York Daily News. Visit nydailynews.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.