--- title: Marjorie Taylor Greene Backlash Over Comments Amid Helene description: Comments Greene made via social media have prompted backlash and discussion. canonical: https://time.com/7049576/marjorie-taylor-greene-backlash-comments-amid-hurricane-helene-devastation/ author: Rebecca Schneid article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2024-10-05T17:30:09.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-24T18:23:40.623Z article:section: Politics og:title: Marjorie Taylor Greene Backlash Over Comments Amid Helene og:description: Comments Greene made via social media have prompted backlash and discussion. og:url: https://time.com/7049576/marjorie-taylor-greene-backlash-comments-amid-hurricane-helene-devastation/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte6a4396b1190894b/698a6abe47ca38d5bc3bf9c7/GettyImages-2174288280.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1024 og:image:height: 576 og:image:alt: Former President Donald Trump Delivers Remarks On The Economy In Savannah, Georgia og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Marjorie Taylor Greene Backlash Over Comments Amid Helene twitter:description: Comments Greene made via social media have prompted backlash and discussion. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte6a4396b1190894b/698a6abe47ca38d5bc3bf9c7/GettyImages-2174288280.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Marjorie Taylor Greene Sparks Backlash With Comments Made Amid Hurricane Helene Devastation > Sponsored content. 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Brief is TIME's Washington newsletter, written by senior correspondent Philip Elliott. It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, three times a week. It reaches 85,000 subscribers with a 37.0% open rate as of August 2026. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters.  by [Rebecca Schneid](https://time.com/author/rebecca-schneid/)  ## Rebecca Schneid Reporter Oct 5, 2024 5:30 PM UTC  U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia speaks ahead of the arrival of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump during a campaign rally at the Johnny Mercer Theatre on Sept. 24, 2024, in Savannah, Georgia. U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia speaks ahead of the arrival of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump during a campaign rally at the Johnny Mercer Theatre on Sept. 24, 2024, in Savannah, Georgia. Brandon Bell—Getty Images  by [Rebecca Schneid](https://time.com/author/rebecca-schneid/)  ## Rebecca Schneid Reporter Oct 5, 2024 5:30 PM UTC Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene is back in the spotlight over comments she made on [X (formerly Twitter)](https://x.com/mtgreenee/status/1842039774359462324). In a post shared with her 1.2 million followers late on Oct. 3, Greene wrote: “Yes they can control the weather. It’s ridiculous for anyone to lie and say it can’t be done.” Greene doesn't specify the identity of the “they” she refers to. She has since received backlash online over the comments. “Okay, but if ‘they’ control weather, then the next logical extreme is that humans caused climate change. She really didn't think this talking point through,” one [social media user said](https://x.com/acnewsitics/status/1842078669084262871). “I need to add ‘consult with they’ while sitting at my desk analyzing weather data to formulate my forecast,” said FOX13 meteorologist Paul Dellegatto, [replying](https://x.com/PaulFox13/status/1842303045972967680) to Greene’s post. > [](https://twitter.com/mtgreenee/status/1842039774359462324) Greene’s comments come amid the devastation caused by [Hurricane Helene](https://time.com/7034646/helene-death-toll-reaches-200/) across the Southeastern United States, including in Greene’s home state of Georgia. Per the New York _Times,_ as of Oct. 4, [at least 225 people have died](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/04/us/hurricane-helene-missing-people.html) and there are ongoing searches for those [who are missing](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/oct/05/hurricane-helene-storm-survivors-experiences) as a result of the storm. **Read More:** [_Hurricane Helene and the ‘Known Unknown’ of Climate Costs_](https://time.com/7049250/hurricane-helene-climate-change-costs-insurance/) As Greene makes these comments, she and former President Donald Trump have publicly called out the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as the agency continues to receive [criticism on its handling of Helene](https://time.com/7049550/fema-role-what-it-does-hurricane-criticism/). Both have pushed [claims](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/10/04/trump-hurricane-helene-fema-money-misinformation/) that FEMA is utilizing funding to “[house illegals](https://www.instagram.com/repmtg/p/DAuH1G1Oc-D/).” FEMA called the accusations over funding being used for migrants [“completely false.”](https://www.newsweek.com/fema-response-accusations-money-spent-migrants-1963702) FEMA has set up a [web page on its official website](https://www.fema.gov/press-release/20241004/fema-launches-web-page-respond-rumors-and-confirm-facts-related-hurricane) to address the rumors circulating their Helene response, writing that misinformation and rumor can cause “confusion” and “prevent… people from getting the help they need.” “Disaster Relief Fund money has not been diverted to other non-disaster related efforts,” the web page states. “The funding for communities to support migrants is appropriated by Congress to Customs and Border Patrol—it has nothing to do with FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund.” This is not the first time the far-right Republican has received backlash over her responses to natural disasters and events. In April, she commented on the [earthquake](https://time.com/6963886/new-jersey-earthquake-magnitude-new-york-damage-reports/) in the Northeast and the [solar eclipse](https://time.com/6963403/solar-eclipse-2024-surprising-facts/) expected across North America that month, stating they were signs from God. After facing online criticism, she [doubled down on the comments](https://time.com/6964423/marjorie-taylor-greene-backlash-response-earthquake-conspiracies/). **Read More:** [_Marjorie Taylor Greene Responds to Backlash Over Comments About Northeast Earthquake_](https://time.com/6964423/marjorie-taylor-greene-backlash-response-earthquake-conspiracies/) “God is sending America strong signs to tell us to repent. Earthquakes and eclipses and many more things to come. I pray that our country listens,” Greene [wrote on X](https://x.com/mtgreenee/status/1776282144416972941), after a 4.8 magnitude earthquake with its epicenter in New Jersey rattled many in the area. In response to Greene’s comments, many pointed to the [years of knowledge](https://eclipse2024.org/predictions.html) and expectation that preceded the solar eclipse on April 8, as well as the [reports](https://www.usgs.gov/faqs/why-are-we-having-so-many-earthquakes-has-naturally-occurring-earthquake-activity-been) from the National Earthquake Information Center showing that around 55 earthquakes happen a day around the globe, [caused by movement](https://time.com/6964177/new-york-earthquake-east-coast/) between the earth’s tectonic plates on active or inactive faults. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/7049576/marjorie-taylor-greene-backlash-comments-amid-hurricane-helene-devastation/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/7049576/marjorie-taylor-greene-backlash-comments-amid-hurricane-helene-devastation/"},"headline":"Marjorie Taylor Greene Sparks Backlash With Comments Made Amid Hurricane Helene Devastation","datePublished":"2024-10-05T17:30:09.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-24T18:23:40.623Z","description":"A social media post has prompted backlash and discussion.","url":"https://time.com/7049576/marjorie-taylor-greene-backlash-comments-amid-hurricane-helene-devastation/","keywords":["republicans","News Desk"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte6a4396b1190894b/698a6abe47ca38d5bc3bf9c7/GettyImages-2174288280.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Rebecca Schneid","jobTitle":"Reporter","url":"https://time.com/author/rebecca-schneid/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte6a4396b1190894b/698a6abe47ca38d5bc3bf9c7/GettyImages-2174288280.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Former President Donald Trump Delivers Remarks On The Economy In Savannah, Georgia","caption":"Former President Donald Trump Delivers Remarks On The Economy In Savannah, Georgia","creditText":"Brandon Bell—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/republicans/","name":"republicans"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/7049576/marjorie-taylor-greene-backlash-comments-amid-hurricane-helene-devastation/","name":"Marjorie Taylor Greene Sparks Backlash With Comments Made Amid Hurricane Helene Devastation"}}]}] ```