Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) placed the winning $100,000 bid on a lip balm stick used by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) on Tuesday. McCarthy has also promised to visit the winner's donors and supporters.
The auction occurred during a GOP conference meeting at the Capitol Hill Club, which is not on Capitol premises. McCarthy increased the value of the lip balm by offering a visit with the winner's benefactors and supporters, McCarthy's office verified to The Hill.
Marjorie Taylor Greene Spent $100K on McCarthy's Used Chapstick
Greene placed the $100,000 bid only after McCarthy increased the value of the"used chapstick." Greene also relayed the news that other Republican members, such as Rep. Jason Smith (Missouri) and Rep. Per The Hill, Stephanie Bice (Oklahoma), had also placed bids and that she would donate the $100,000 to the National Republican Congressional Committee.
Earlier this year, when a faction of Republicans opposed McCarthy's election to the Speakership, the Georgia congresswoman was a critical ally of McCarthy. McCarthy is currently attempting to maintain the unity of his caucus amidst an impasse with the White House over extending the debt ceiling.
Republicans participated in a bizarre fundraising auction on Tuesday as legislators remain unable to reach an agreement on the nation's debt to prevent a calamitous default. A government default of unprecedented proportions would send interest rates soaring and undermine the currency, according to Daily Mail.
It would also result in a nationwide closure of government agencies. Congress and the White House are struggling to reach an agreement on the $31 trillion debt expenditure ceiling, which restricts the amount of money the United States can borrow.
Nonetheless, Republican legislators appeared unfazed as they participated in the 15-minute fundraiser during their weekly closed-doors meeting.
McCarthy offered to dine with the victorious bidder and any supporters of their choosing. The 48-year-old, who repeats pro-Russian talking points about Vladimir Putin's invasion, placed the winning bid after McCarthy extended the invitation.
Since the Georgia lawmaker supported McCarthy's quest for the position of House Speaker, they have developed an exceedingly close friendship.
Steve Bannon Questioned Taylor's Funds
Meanwhile, the CFO of Steve Bannon's War Room podcast asked Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) whether the $100,000 bid she placed to win House Speaker Kevin McCarthy's (R-CA) "used chapstick" came from her personal funds or campaign funds raised from MAGA donors.
"Is this your own money or PAC/campaign funds, @MTG? You came on WarRoom begging MAGA for more money, despite the fact that many are struggling financially," the show's CFO, Grace Chong, tweeted Tuesday alongside the auction's headline.
According to Chong, Greene has been a frequent guest on Bannon's War Room podcast and is one of the foremost small-donor fundraisers for the Republican Party.
Bannon and his brand of far-right populism have long focused on economic issues, such as inflation and the rising cost of living in the United States - a message that Chong appeared to be pointing out was at odds with the $100,000 chapstick fundraiser.
After the US Treasury stated that an agreement must be reached before June 1 to avoid default, a date that was disputed by some Republicans, Democrats criticized the fundraising farce.
Tuesday at the Capitol, negotiators for President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy exchanged additional budget-cutting proposals. However, Republicans warned of a White House "lack of urgency" to resolve the impasse in time to avert a potentially disruptive federal default. He told reporters that the teams are considering "creative" methods to reduce expenditure that are acceptable to all parties.
The negotiations over raising the nation's debt limit, which is currently $31 trillion, were never expected to reach this juncture - a crisis in the making. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre deemed it 'insane' to imply that Vice President Biden was not acting with urgency. She stated, "He wants this completed as quickly as feasible."
The White House asserted early on that it was unwilling to negotiate over the need to pay the nation's obligations, demanding that Congress simply raise the debt ceiling without conditions, as it has done numerous times in the past.
However, during a February meeting in the Oval Office, the newly elected speaker persuaded the president to negotiate a budget package that would reduce spending to reduce ballooning deficits in the post-COVID era in exchange for the vote to authorize future debt.
After a crucial meeting late Monday night at the White House - following the president's return from the Group of Seven summit in Japan - both men stated that discussions were fruitful.
However, time is running out to reach an agreement, so they are scrambling to create a compromise that can be swiftly approved by the Republican House and the Democratic Senate and signed into law.
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