Greene says ‘no one is concerned’ about debt default in Republican conference

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) dismissed the threat of the government defaulting on its debt saying “no one is freaking out” in the House Republican conference about the deadline.

Her remarks come even amid Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen’s repeated warnings of the severe economic consequences if Congress does not raise the debt ceiling by June 1.

“Here’s what’s happening in our conference,” Greene told conservative podcast host Steve Bannon on Wednesday. “We’re not sweating this at all. No one is freaking out, no one is concerned about this mystery date that Janet Yellen has thrown out, like it’s going to actually crash America.”

“The only people worked up about the mystery date is probably the New York Stock Exchange,” she said. “I mean, let’s be real about exactly what it is. Regular Americans living their lives, day in and day out, don’t worry about the government shutting down.”

The comments come as House Republican negotiators head to the White House and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy signals he’s optimistic about the prospects of striking a deal.

“I think we can make progress today,” he told reporters Wednesday.

But some Republicans in his conference still signal they won’t support a deal that has fewer spending cuts than the GOP-led bill that already passed the House. Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) said Tuesday that he and his conservative colleagues “don’t feel like we should negotiate with our hostage” on a debt-limit compromise.

Asked Wednesday to respond to those who question whether McCarthy can actually strike a deal, in light of positions held by Gaetz and others in his conference, McCarthy dismissed those concerns.

“They’re wrong,” McCarthy said when asked about his skeptics. “You underestimated me the whole time.”

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