Texas Border Fight Gives Marjorie Taylor Greene Ammo for 'National Divorce'

Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene is praising states that are supporting Texas' border battle with the federal government, saying it's part of the "national divorce" she has endorsed.

"When I said we need a National Divorce this is exactly what I'm talking about and a serious example as to why," Greene wrote Thursday on X (formerly Twitter), reposting a list of the states supporting Texas.

On Monday, the Georgia Republican called for the United States "to separate by red states and blue states and shrink the federal government" and, in turn, the national debt. This would be accomplished, she said, by giving states the ability to control education, commerce and communications in response to "irreconcilable differences."

Another issue Greene has been outspoken about is immigration and the U.S.-Mexico border. Over a dozen states, all led by Republican governors, have expressed support for Texas and its governor, Greg Abbott, via social media and other ways following Monday's 5-4 Supreme Court ruling. That decision vacated an injunction from an appeals court and allows federal Border Patrol agents to remove razor wire installed at the border by Texas officials under Abbott's direction.

The Texas National Guard can still erect wire at the border, and Abbott said the larger battle is "not over" and will continue in the name of "self-defense."

The states supporting Texas are Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Idaho, Louisiana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia and Wyoming. Most of these states have been supporting Texas' efforts to control border immigration going back to at least August 2023.

Newsweek reached out to governors in those states via email for comment.

House Speaker Mike Johnson has also supported Abbott in his dispute with the Biden administration.

On Wednesday, the governor issued a declaration on behalf of Texas invoking a seldom-used U.S. constitutional provision that provides special powers to states during times of invasion.

He accused the White House of having "broken the compact between the United States and the States" with its immigration policy. The administration's failure to fulfill its duty under Article IV, Section 4, of the Constitution, he said, gives Texas the right to protect itself under Article I, Section 10, Clause 3.

Questions abound as to whether Abbott has the power to usurp the federal government in this instance. Critics say that governors cannot declare anything they see as supported by the U.S. Constitution—nor does the Constitution grant governors the ability to counter the federal government.

Democrats like Texas Representative Joaquin Castro have urged the Biden administration to take federal control of the Texas National Guard, but the Biden administration has remained relatively tight-lipped about its next steps.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told CNN on Thursday that Abbott is politicizing an issue and not helping communities.

"He's actually putting Border Patrol agents in harm's way by doing what he's doing," she said. "I'm not going to speak to any actions that the president might take, might not take, but we have been very clear about it."