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On Tuesday, the House GOP Steering Committee unanimously agreed to place Georgia congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene on the House Homeland Security Committee and the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability.
The decision to put the GOP hardliner in a role where she'll be able to influence policies on America's defense and border security "shouldn't make many Americans feel any safer," Thomas Gift, associate professor of political science at the School of Public Policy at University College London, told Newsweek.
"Her record of kooky, off-the wall statements and of trafficking in unhinged conspiracy theories doesn't exactly lend itself to the kind of gravitas one might expect for a position centered on protecting America from its adversaries," Gift added.
While all members of Congress typically get committee seats, Greene has spent the last two years without any such assignments.
In February 2021, the then-Democratic-led House voted to strip her of any committee role after several incendiary statements resurfaced online. They were made by the Georgia congresswoman before her election, in support of dangerous conspiracy theories and political violence against prominent Democrats.
Her return to committee assignments comes after she campaigned for Kevin McCarthy's bid for House speakership "against all of the stands that she had taken before in her prior two years of Congress," Michael Tappin, a United States expert and honorary fellow at Keele University in the U.K., told Newsweek.
While McCarthy's election was marked by the chaos created within the GOP by a group of rebel Republican hardliners nicknamed the "Taliban 20," Greene "was there from the beginning, backing him," added Tappin.
"She wanted to take herself into a position of power and within Kevin McCarthy's orbit. [...] It was a political decision on her part, she wanted to make progress in the House. She's got a safe seat in Georgia, no threat from the Democrats there.
"So, once she gets on that committee, if the Republicans remain controlling the House after the 2024 elections, she'll move up in seniority."
Her likely placement in the House Homeland Security Committee, which still needs to be ratified by the entire House GOP, has caused outrage among former Democratic members.
"A QAnon conspiracy theorist + Jan 6 insurrectionist doesn't belong on a committee that exists to fight extremism," tweeted former committee vice president Ritchie Torres.
Gift agreed that "the starring role she played in defending the Jan. 6 insurrection" makes her appointment to the House Homeland Security Committee "seems particularly ironic," but added that "as just one member on the committee, Greene's influence will be limited."
"Her placement arguably says more about Kevin McCarthy than it does about Greene, offering up key spots to a fringe part of his caucus that he needs to maintain his support as speaker," Gift said.
In terms of what her priorities within the House Homeland Security Committee will be, Tappin said these will go from the southern border to funding Ukraine in its fight against Russia's invasion.
"She said that 'our southern border is being invaded by illegal aliens, criminals and terrorists,'" Tappin added. "I think there will be hearings on the way in which the wall, the construction of the wall has not happened.
"I think she'll be looking at the way in which the border control and ICE [U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement] have had their hands tied by the Biden administration."
Tappin says that Greene will also have an influence upon future debates on funding for Ukraine and the role of the U.S. as a global leader.
The Georgia congresswoman has long been opposed to the billions of dollars the U.S. has sent to Ukraine since the beginning of Russia's invasion in late February 2022. She even sponsored a resolution to audit U.S. military and economic aid for Ukraine in 2022. The measure, which received the support of mainstream Republicans, was narrowly defeated in a 26-to-22 vote in early December.
Greene might challenge new U.S. military and economic aid for Ukraine within the committee and the now-Republican-led House, said Tappin. He added that this could have "an implication for the U.S. commitment to NATO" and the country's leadership in the world, too.
"I am very worried that the Republican Party is going back to being an isolationist party," Tappin said. "The Republican Party, the part of it led by Greene and others, want to not so much withdraw [from NATO], but pursue an 'America First' policy."
Greene was extremely critical of Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky's visit to Washington in December, tweeting: "Of course the shadow president has to come to Congress and explain why he needs billions of American's taxpayer dollars for the 51st state, Ukraine. This is absurd. Put America First!!!"
While there's still broad support for Ukraine in Congress, the new Republican leadership might complicate efforts in support of the war-torn country.
Newsweek reached out to Greene's team for comment, who sent the same statement the congresswoman shared on her Twitter feed on Tuesday.
"It will be my honor to serve my constituents and the American People on the House Committee on Homeland Security to focus on the security of the United States," Greene wrote.
"Our Southern border is being invaded by millions of illegal aliens, criminals, and potential terrorists. Our People are being murdered by Chinese fentanyl flooding in from the cartels. Our Border Patrol and ICE agents have their hands tied and have been turned into a welcoming committee by the Biden administration. Cyber attacks continue on our nation's people and businesses along with many more threats to our homeland. It's time for accountability with Republicans in charge."
About the writer
Giulia Carbonaro is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. Her focus is on the U.S. economy, housing market, property ... Read more