Sin. Mike LeeThe Utah Republican predicted that House Speaker Mike Johnson will not hold the gavel next year and called for either Elon Musk or Vivek Ramaswamy to fill the leadership role.
“I do not think that the Speaker of Parliament will remain in power,” Lee predicted during his appearance on Thursday evening. “Jesse Waters Prime Time.”
The senator went on to say if he is right, the next speaker should be a “DOGE speaker,” referring to the Department of Government Efficiency. President-elect Donald Trump has appointed Musk and Ramaswamy to lead efforts to call for cuts in government spending.
He said to me, “Vivek, Elon, if you're watching, please sign up, America needs you.”
A Trump-backed spending bill to avoid a government shutdown fails a vote in the House
Sen. Mike Lee, Republican of Utah, speaks during a campaign rally for former President Donald Trump at Findlay Toyota Center on October 13, 2024 in Prescott Valley, Arizona. (Rebecca Noble/Getty Images)
In a Thursday morning post on Channel X, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., floated the idea of appointing Musk as Speaker of the House.
“Nothing would disrupt the swamp more than electing Elon Musk… Think about it… Nothing is impossible. (Not to mention the joy of seeing the collectivist establishment, also known as the 'monoparty', lose their ever-loving minds)' he posted Paul Thursday morning.
This week, with a partial government shutdown on the cards, conservatives objected to a 1,547-page government spending measure called for by House Speaker Mike Johnson.
President-elect Trump Vice President-elect J.D. Vance also weighed in, declaring in a statement that “Republicans want to support our farmers, pay for disaster relief, and set our country up for success in 2025. The only way to do that is with temporary funding.” “The bill without Democratic donations is coupled with an increase in the debt ceiling.”
Before Thursday's vote, in which 38 House Republicans and most Democrats rejected a reworked proposal with far fewer pages, Trump criticized Republican Rep. Chip Roy, claiming the lawmaker was “getting in the way, as usual.” , achieving another great Republican victory – all for some cheap publicity for himself.
“Weak and ineffective people like Chip should be dismissed as completely uninformed in the ways of politics, in the ways of making America great again,” Trump asserted in a post on Truth Social.
Trump-backed spending bill falls apart as shutdown looms
President-elect Donald Trump speaks at a press conference at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort on December 16, 2024 in Palm Beach, Florida. (Andrew Harnick/Getty Images)
Lee praised Roy after Trump trashed the Lone Star state lawmaker.
“There is no more dedicated advocate for conservative politics, constitutionally limited government, or MAGA principles than @ChipRoyTX,” Lee declared in a post on X. “President Trump will not have a more principled and diligent ally than @ChipRoyTX,” he added. He added. “If there is a more faithful defender of the Constitution today, I have not met that person.”
Roy gave a fiery speech before the vote on Thursday, in which he criticized the new version of the spending proposal and Republicans’ support for it.
“Yes, I think this bill is better than it was yesterday in some ways,” Roy noted, adding, “Congratulating yourself because it's shorter in pages but increases the debt by $5 trillion is petty.”
Roy said he was “disgusted that a party that campaigns on fiscal responsibility has the audacity” to suggest that the proposal is “fiscally responsible. It's absolutely ridiculous.”
Sin. peeThe Kentucky Republican rep posted a clip of Roy's speech, commenting: “We are either fiscally conservative or we are not. An unlimited increase in the debt ceiling for two years is not fiscally conservative and should be rejected.”
Massey comes out against Johnson retaining gavel speaker: 'He doesn't have my vote'
U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, speaks to the media after the House of Representatives fails to pass a government funding bill at the U.S. Capitol on December 19, 2024 in Washington, D.C. (Kevin Deitch/Getty Images)
In a post on X, Roy noted, “Right now, I am against raising the debt ceiling without significant spending cuts/reforms.”
Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., who like Roy voted against passing the spending proposal Thursday, suggested that instead of voting on an omnibus measure, there should be multiple measures that get individual votes.
“This isn't complicated. Break the bills apart and vote on them individually. One vote on a clean slate, one vote on a debt limit, one vote on disaster relief, one vote on farm bailouts, right? Individual bills for each issue, ” to publish. .
Lee agreed with him.
“Separate bills,” he wrote. He added: “Vote on them individually.” “Revolutionary!”
