“My Amendment Uses the Holman Rule To Reduce No, Castrate, the Salary”: House Rejects Marjorie Taylor Greene’s Efforts to “Castrate” Transgender Official’s Salary to $1

Jo ShawNov 25, 2023

Minute Read

GOP Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene has often utilized the “Holman Rule,” a longstanding provision, to propose reducing the salaries of specific Democratic officials to $1. In her most recent amendment, she specifically targeted the first transgender federal official confirmed by the US Senate in 2021, Assistant Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine. This move, characterized as an “assault on the LGBTQI+ community,” faced opposition in the House, with numerous Republican lawmakers assisting in rejecting the amendment.

Castrate the Salary

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Prior to her failed amendment, Greene attacked Dr. Levine on the House floor by declaring, “My amendment uses the Holman Rule to reduce no, castrate, the salary of Assistant Secretary of Health [Rachel] Levine to $1.”

Trust the Science

While targeting the Assistant Secretary of Health, Greene positioned herself in front of a sign that displayed the following message: “There are TWO genders: MALE & FEMALE. ‘Trust the science!’”

First Openly Transgender Federal Official

Greene’s criticism of Levine stemmed from the former Professor of Pediatrics and Psychiatry being the inaugural openly transgender federal official confirmed by the US Senate. The current Assistant Secretary of Health has faced numerous assaults from right-wing Republicans due to her advocacy for gender-affirming care.

Pushing Demonic Gender-Affirming Care

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Greene introduced the bill and declared that Levine “was a diversity hire by the Biden administration to push the demonic gender-affirming care agenda.” “Reduce – no, castrate the salary of Assistant Secretary of Health [deadname] Levine to $1, the same way he supports castrating children who suffer from gender dysphoria,” the GOP representative added.

Empowering Kids to Mutilate Themselves

Greene has made unfounded allegations against Levine, including that the Dr. empowers “kids to mutilate and castrate themselves.” Greene also claimed, “[S]he is unfit to serve as the HHS assistant secretary for health,” and made wild accusations of “grooming children, adolescents, and young adults,” as she spoke of the Assistant Secretary using the incorrect pronoun.

A Mentally Ill Man Who Thinks He’s a Woman

As reported by LGBTQ Nation in an article that covered Greene’s proposed amendment, Greene has said that Levine was “masquerading as a woman” and is a “mentally ill man who thinks he’s a woman.” The article also noted that other GOP Representatives had attempted to cut the salaries of LGBTQ office officials. “Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-NY) introduced an amendment to lower out lesbian White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre’s salary to $1,” they reported.

Hateful and Unacceptable Behavior

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The Advocate reported the response of a White House Official when asked about the amendment. “It’s a hateful, dangerous, and unacceptable stunt that comes at a time when the LGBTQI+ community is under unprecedented attack,” The statement continued, “The Biden-Harris Administration proudly stands with Admiral Rachel Levine, assistant secretary for health, a public servant who works every day to improve the health and well-being of all Americans. We will continue to stand up and speak out against hate and intolerance in all forms.”

There’s No Room for Bigotry

Xavier Becerra, The Secretary of Health and Human Services, also posted on X in support of her colleague Levine, writing, “HHS and I unequivocally stand with our @HHS_ASH, Admiral Rachel Levine & the community she serves as a role model for. There’s no room for bigotry in our public discourse. We won’t tolerate any attacks on the LGBTQI+ community, their right to access care and to be who they are.”

House Republicans Voted Against the Amendment

When the amendment came up for a vote, a significant number of House Republicans expressed their disapproval of MTG’s actions, rejecting the amendment aimed at reducing the salary of the transgender official.

46 Republicans Voted Against MTG’s Amendment

The amendment faced rejection with 46 votes from Republicans and 208 from Democrats, whereas 170 Republican House members voted in favor of it.

Far-Right GOP’s Bring Back Obscure Rule

An article published by Business Insider has highlighted GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s multiple attempts to cut Democrats’ salaries and accused House Republicans of bringing back “in vogue” an “obscure House rule from the 19th century.”

The “Holman Rule”

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The article from Business Insider noted that “Since the beginning of the congressional term in January, House Republicans have taken advantage of the “Holman Rule” and introduced 36 separate amendments to appropriations bills in an attempt to reduce the salaries of select Biden Administration officials and federal employees to just $1.”

Greene Regularly Employs the Rule

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The article continued, “In recent months, Greene’s been the lead sponsor of four of the amendments that sought to cut the pay of Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, and the CEO of the US Agency for Global Media, Amanda Bennett.”

Regular Attacks Concerning LGBTQ Community

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Greene posted to X, commenting on the Transportation Secretary, Pete Buttigieg’s trip to receive an award from an LGBTQ organization. She wrote, “Pothole Pete staged fake bike rides to the White House and used private planes funded by taxpayers to receive awards for the way certain people have sex.”

House Approved to Cut Blinken’s Salary

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Madison Hall, the author of the article, further stated, “Of Greene’s amendments, a majority in the House ultimately approved three. Lawmakers in the chamber have agreed on similar amendments regarding the paychecks for six other officials, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken and the director of the Department of Defense’s Office for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Cyrus Salazar.”

Using a Rule to “Win Brownie Points”

Hall highlighted that there was “ virtually zero possibility that any of the amendments will make it into the final agreed-upon appropriations bills…House Republicans have continued to use the Holman Rule to win brownie points with their base.”

A Waste of Congresses Time

Rep. Mike Quigley has also commented on the time spent bringing these amendments. He recently posted on X: “Marjorie Taylor Greene introduced an amendment to lower @SecretaryPete’s salary to $1 because she doesn’t like that he’s gay. It’s homophobia and a waste of Congress’s time. We should be addressing issues Americans care about, not trying to score political points.”

This Disgusting Bag of Hate

Many angry people went online to speak up about the GOP Representative Greene’s comments. In response, one user wrote, “This disgusting bag of hate seems to think she’s still in some high school clique. Start acting like a responsible, sane, peoples’ representative instead of an angry, hateful adolescent.”