Mike Johnson, Marjorie Taylor Greene clash in heated private GOP call over shutdown strategy

By Fox News · Fox News

House Republicans held a lawmaker-only conference call on Tuesday that grew tense when Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., confronted Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., on his strategy to navigate the ongoing government shutdown. Johnson has been holding weekly calls to keep GOP lawmakers updated on the shutdown while instructing them to remain in their home districts rather than in Washington. It's part of Johnson's pressure strategy to force Senate Democrats into accepting the GOP's federal funding plan. However, Fox News Digital was told that Greene forcefully countered that Republicans' House majority was "being wasted" by staying in their districts. BATTLEGROUND REPUBLICANS HOLD THE LINE AS JOHNSON PRESSURES DEMS ON SHUTDOWN She said House Republicans would be better served passing legislation in Washington and finding an "off ramp" to COVID-19 pandemic-era Obamacare subsidies that are set to expire at the end of this year if a deal isn't reached. An extension of those subsidies has been Democrats' main demand in exchange for agreeing to any funding deal. "You guys need to get out of Washington, D.C., and go back to your districts and talk to real people, because real people are pissed," Greene told House GOP leaders, Fox News Digital learned. "They expect us to do our legislative constitutional duty and not take marching orders from the political team at the White House." She turned her ire on President Donald Trump as well, pointing out she was one of his earliest fervent supporters but adding, "Even the president is losing support." Fox News Digital was told that Johnson defended Republicans' legislative record so far as well as Trump's popularity among the GOP base. He also said he and other Republican leaders had been working tirelessly to end the shutdown, Fox News Digital was told. "He's not sleeping. I'm not sleeping ... because we are working around the clock," Johnson said. Johnson then went further and criticized Greene for airing her concerns with the GO…