Late-night comic Jimmy Kimmel could barely get the words out of his mouth when he had to say: “I agree with Marjorie Taylor Greene.”

It was his second time this month, he noted, and added “I need something to wash out my mouth.”  But in truth, the issue at hand, which is access to health care, is no laughing matter.

Greene’s latest defection from the MAGA cult of loyalty for which she has been a leading figure popped up in an exclusive interview with CNN in which she didn’t beat around the bush concerning the effect of the House-passed budget bill that, due to not reauthorizing Affordable Care Act subsidies, has caused the shutdown of the federal government.  

“Everybody is just getting destroyed” Greene told reporters.  “This cliff is coming for millions and millions of Americans where their health insurance premiums are about to skyrocket. Republicans, you have no solutions. You haven’t come up with a new plan in place, and we’re not even talking about it, and it is hurting so many people.”  

Greene’s concerns are at odds with the narrative the GOP is trying to spin on the shutdown — namely that it’s all the fault of Senate Democrats.  Instead, Greene says the healthcare crisis now facing millions of Americans, including her kids and constituents, is a direct threat to Republicans in the polls and voting booths.  

It’s worth noting Greene is also one of four Republican House members who signed the discharge petition to force the release of the Epstein files, telling The Hill:  “I think when it comes to women being raped, especially when they were 14 years old, that’s pretty black and white.”  Moreover, she said Speaker Johnson’s attempts to keep the House shut down was “wrong” and they should reconvene to take care of the vast spectrum of Congressional business.  

For his part, Johnson doesn’t want to reconvene the House due to the recent election of a Democrat who, when sworn in, will provide the final signature to force Johnson to deal with the “Epstein bomb”. 

What could this MAGA rebellion by Greene have to do with Montana?  Well, it’s not so dissimilar from a group of nine Republicans who broke with their own leadership over any number of issues.  Chief among them was health care, and support for a bill by fellow Republican Ed Buttrey to lift the pending expiration of Medicaid expansion for low income people that the Senate’s GOP President, Matt Regier, opposed.   

Like Greene, Buttrey noted that healthcare was critical and Republicans had no other plan: “We have 10 years’ worth of data that shows that the program we designed is working and working well. There’s no need to change it, it’s a savings to our budget, it is providing help for people all across the state, it’s helping save our rural health care facilities.  Why would you want to change that or come up with another plan?”

It’s fair to say the GOP tends to “keep its soldiers in line” when it comes to supporting or opposing leadership positions.  Yet, just as Greene defied Johnson on Medicare funding and Trump on the Epstein files, Buttrey and his nine “rebels” defied their own leadership and governor to support Medicaid expansion. 

None of this spells the end of MAGA, of course.  But it shows that when it comes down to the critical issues that affect the citizens of our nation and state, party affiliation is not and should not be the determining factor — especially when it comes to taking care of each other. 

BILLINGS — Montana Rescue Mission leadership detailed its future plans Thursday in response to sexual assault accusations of one of its employees.

The accusations come on the heels of the firing of former Executive Director Matt Lundgren after an internal HR investigation.

Watch this video to hear from leadership:

Montana Rescue Mission responds to sexual assault accusations

The employee worked as the nonprofit’s addiction counselor and social worker. MTN is choosing not to name them because no criminal charges have been filed.

Billings police confirmed that the department is handling the investigation, which was brought to light through documents provided by Montana Attorney General’s Austin Knudsen’s office on Thursday.

Those documents detail that the employee is accused of assaulting two women, who confided in a Billings therapist, Jonathan Angel, who later reported the assaults.

Joanna King with the Billings Leadership Foundation, which handles administrative work for the Mission, said that the nonprofit is taking the accusations seriously and letting the investigation commence before any permanent action is taken.

“Everyone is entitled due process, for both victims or people being accused,” King said Thursday morning. “We want to make sure that we take complaints and concerns seriously.”

King also said that with the recent turbulent changes, the nonprofit is looking to make changes.

“One of the things in all of the leadership changes is reopen lines of communication with area partners,” King said. “At the end of the day, we want to make sure that we are providing the best care that we can.”

Some of those community partnerships include RiverStone Health and the Community Crisis Center, which were used by the mission in years past. Former Billings City Council Member and current President of the Yellowstone Human Trafficking Task Force Penny Ronning said she hopes that returns to the norm.

“It used to be so community-based,” Ronning said of the Mission Thursday afternoon. “Members of different sectors in the community were active within the workings of the mission.”

Ronning said when Lundgren took over, that feeling of transparency began to change, which is why she was saddened but not shocked by the recent news.

“I’m disappointed and hurt for our community, but mostly for those that the mission serves,” Ronning said. “Sadly, I’m not surprised.”

Ronning said it’s unfortunately common around the state for unethical behavior to exist within at-risk populations.

“These are the places that we are seeing in Montana right now being the most vulnerable to trafficking, to predators and the Mission is not an exception to that,” Ronning said.

Now, Ronning said she hopes the recent challenges will lead to a more positive direction.

“It really is upon that board and current leadership to make that change,” Ronning said.

King said they’re committed to finding the right path, similar to their residents.

“We’re meant to be a stop along the way,” King said. “They’re meant to stop, get the help they need and transfer on. That’s what we’re trying to do too.”