Marjorie Taylor Greene’s sudden announcement to step down from Congress has sparked widespread debate, particularly due to the timing coinciding with her becoming eligible for a federal pension. The date she has chosen to leave, January 5, 2026, is just two days after her federal pension rights are fully vested.

At 51 years of age, the Georgia Republican’s resignation aligns precisely with the five-year service requirement that lawmakers must meet to qualify for lifetime pension benefits, as stipulated by federal regulations.

Greene, who first entered Congress following her election in 2020, officially began her term on January 3, 2021. Her announcement on Friday to exit in early 2026 has stirred criticism, particularly among Democrats.

Among her critics is Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who has openly suggested that Greene’s planned departure appears to be strategically timed for her own financial advantage. The controversy highlights the ongoing tensions between partisan lines and the scrutiny of financial motives within political careers.

The detail has prompted criticism from Democrats, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who argued Greene’s exit was scheduled to secure personal financial gain.

‘She’s carefully timing her departure just 1-2 days after her pension kicks in and after making millions of dollars insider trading stocks for weapons manufacturers and others while in office.’ Ocasio-Cortez said. 

‘She is saying a lot but her action have not backed up the rhetoric. For all her talk, she’s still voting with them to gut healthcare and advance self-dealing corruption schemes.’ 

Greene, announcing her resignation in a video on Friday night, said she had been ‘despised in Washington DC,’ and cited a contentious breakup with Donald Trump, who recently called her a ‘traitor’, as a key factor in her decision to step down.

Marjorie Taylor Greene’s abrupt decision to resign from Congress is drawing scrutiny after it emerged that her departure date falls just two days after her federal pension is fully vested

The detail prompted criticism from Democrats who argued Greene’s exit was timed to secure personal financial gain

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez took a much more cynical view of Greene’s resignation, given it was set right at the moment her federal pension was set to vest

According to congressional rules, members are eligible for a federal pension at age 62 after completing at least five years of service. 

While the exact amount Greene will receive will depend on factors including her salary and years in office, the federal pension system is one of the most generous in the country, especially for lawmakers leaving office with name recognition and lucrative prospects in the private-sector.

Far-right activist Laura Loomer also suggested Greene’s pension may be a factor in the timing of her departure. 

‘MTG decided to resign on January 5th, 2026. Her federal pension kicks in on January 3, 2026. It’s all about the money for her. Always has been. She’s doing this for the money. Expect to see her portfolio explode between now and January 2026.

‘Marjorie TRADER Greene,’ Loomer quipped. 

But others poured cold water on the idea given how Greene is still 11 years away from collecting her pension and specualted that it would amount only to around $1,250 a month. 

Greene said that she was leaving to spend more time with her family amid constant death threats she claimed she received in the wake of her clash with with the president. 

In his first response to the news, Trump had no interest in mending fences with Greene in his first words following her resignation. 

‘I think it’s great news for the country. It’s great,’ he said.

Trump also said Greene had not reached out or told him of her decision before she made the announcement. 

‘Nah, it doesn’t matter, you know but I think it’s great. I think she should be happy,’ Trump said.

He said he had no plans to speak with Greene but wishes her well.

Far-right activist Laura Loomer also suggested Greene’s pension may be a factor in the timing of her departure

Marjorie Taylor Greene announced she will resign from Congress at the beginning of 2026, a shock move following a tumultuous year that saw her split from longtime ally Donald Trump

In her resignation statement, Greene expressed profound frustration with her own party’s inability to get anything done despite controlling the presidency and both houses of Congress in 2025.

‘Almost one year into our majority, the legislature has been mostly sidelined, we endured an eight week shutdown wrongly resulting in the House not working for the entire time, and we are entering campaign season which means all courage leaves and only safe campaign re-election mode is turned on,’ she said. 

Greene has received praise from conservative journalist and her longtime boyfriend, Brian Glenn. 

‘You never allowed the political industrial complex to break you. Thank you for fighting America,’ he wrote.

The heart of her feud with the president was his failure over his major campaign promise to release the Epstein files. 

In her resignation statement, Greene expressed disgust after, ‘standing up for American women who were raped at 14, trafficked and used by rich powerful men, should not result in me being called a traitor and threatened by the President of the United States, whom I fought for’.

The pledge became rallying cry for Greene and other Republican rebels on Capitol Hill, a fallout that came to a head on Friday as the pair traded vicious jabs on social media.

The president – who has long said he cut Epstein off decades ago and did nothing wrong – explosively announced he was ‘unendorsing’ the Georgia Republican, accusing her of becoming ‘left wing’.

Greene expressed profound frustration with her own party’s inability to get anything done despite controlling the presidency and both houses of Congress in 2025

Marjorie Taylor Green and Donald Trump sits in his box during a gold tournament at the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey in July 2022

‘I am withdrawing my support and Endorsement of ‘Congresswoman’ Marjorie Taylor Greene, of the Great State of Georgia,’ Trump wrote earlier this month

In 2020, Marjorie Taylor Greene posted an image of herself holding a gun as she ran as a Republican congressional candidate

Trump kickstarted the spat, which included an admission that he advised her not to run for Senate in 2026, on Truth Social last week. 

‘I am withdrawing my support and Endorsement of ‘Congresswoman’ Marjorie Taylor Greene, of the Great State of Georgia,’ he wrote. 

Trump then listed the accomplishments of his nine months in office before alleging that ‘all I see ‘Wacky’ Marjorie do is COMPLAIN, COMPLAIN, COMPLAIN!’ 

He wrote: ‘It seemed to all begin when I sent her a Poll stating that she should not run for Senator, or Governor, she was at 12%, and didn’t have a chance (unless, of course, she had my Endorsement — which she wasn’t about to get!).’

The president claims that since he refused to endorse her ambitions, he doesn’t return her phone calls. 

‘With 219 Congressmen/women, 53 U.S. Senators, 24 Cabinet Members, almost 200 Countries, and an otherwise normal life to lead, I can’t take a ranting Lunatic’s call every day,’ Trump claimed.

He then suggested that Greene should face a primary to retain her deep red seat in Georgia in 2026. 

Daily Mail has contacted Greene for comment.