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House Republicans are becoming more and more frustrated with their colleague Marjorie Taylor Greene and her bizarre, and debunked, claims that Democrats are “controlling the weather” following the recent devastation caused by hurricanes in the southeastern US.
The Maga firebrand from Georgia has doubled down on her conspiracy, leading even her fellow party members to speculate that she “needs [her] head examined.”
Greene claimed online last week that “they” can control the weather after Hurricane Helene killed more than two dozen people in her state and more than 230 in total. On Wednesday she doubled down, clarifying that she was referring to governmental organizations including NOAA.
Her remarks have been met with outrage, including from representatives whose districts have been directly affected by both Helene and now Milton. One described Greene’s remarks about the weather to new outlet Axios as “loony tunes”.
Carlos Gimenez, who represents a Hurricane-prone district in South Florida, replied to one of Greene’s posts writing, "NEW FLASH —> Humans cannot create or control hurricanes. Anyone who thinks they can, needs to have their head examined.”
Chuck Edwards, of North Carolina, whose district was in the path of Helene, sent out a press release entitled "Debunking Helene Response Myths." The release did not mention Greene by name, but firmly stated that "nobody can control the weather."
Mike Lawler, of New York, told Axios that Greene’s rhetoric "doesn’t dignify a response – other than to say, of course no one can control the weather."
Another anonymous House Republican pointed to Greene’s previous stance on climate-based issues. "She thinks we have no impact on the climate but somehow control the weather," they said. The lawmaker added that Greene’s beliefs on the subject are "loony tunes,” per the outlet.
On Wednesday, Greene posted a follow-up to her initial claim that “they can control the weather”, writing “Everyone keeps asking, ‘who is they?’”
“Well some of them are listed on NOAA, as well as most of the ways weather can be modified...If your home or business or property is damaged or a loved one is killed by their weather modifications shouldn’t you be eligible for compensation?” Greene wrote.
The congresswoman also attached screenshots of “weather modification project reports” from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration website.
These projects include cloud seeding, a practice that has existed for nearly a century. Through cloud seeding, experts can improve a cloud’s ability to produce rain or snow, according to the Desert Research Institute. They can do this by introducing “ice nuclei” to certain types of clouds using planes or ground-based generators.
Conspiracy theorists have pointed to cloud seeding throughout the years as evidence that the government can control major weather events. However, cloud seeding cannot be used to create or modify hurricanes, NOAA explained. Furthermore, there is no weather modification technique that would allow the government to create a hurricane.
Joe Biden, who is due to visit areas of Florida affected by Milton on Sunday, previously said the idea the federal government controlled the weather was “beyond ridiculous”.
