Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
Sen. Mike LeeR-Utah, predicted that House Speaker Mike Johnson would not hold the gavel next year and called on Elon Musk or Vivek Ramaswamy to fill the leadership role.
“I don’t think the speaker will stay in power,” Lee predicted during an appearance Thursday night on the “Jesse Watters Primetime.”
The senator went on to say that the next speaker, if he is right, should be the “DOGE speaker”, referring to the Department of Government Efficiency. President-elect Donald Trump has tapped Musk and Ramaswamy to lead efforts to advocate for reduced government spending.
“Vivek, Elon if you’re watching, please apply, America needs you,” Lee said.
TRUMP-BACKED SPENDING BILL TO AVOID A GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN FAILS IN A VOTED HOUSE
Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, speaks during a campaign rally for former President Donald Trump at the Findlay Toyota Center on October 13, 2024 in Prescott Valley, Arizona. (Rebecca Noble/Getty Images)
In a post Thursday morning on X, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., floated the idea of Musk being speaker of the House.
“Nothing would disrupt the swamp more than the election of Elon Musk…think about it…nothing is impossible. (not to mention the joy of watching the collective establishment known as the ‘uniparty’ lose its ever-loving mind)” Paul posted in Thursday morning.
This week, with the possibility of a partial government shutdown, conservatives railed against a 1,547-page government spending measure championed by House Speaker Mike Johnson.
President-elect Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance also chimed in, saying in a statement: “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 to temporarily fund the bill WITHOUT DEMOCRATIC GIFTS combined with increasing debt ceiling.”
Before Thursday’s vote, in which 38 House Republicans and a majority of Democrats rejected a reworked proposal with far fewer pages, Trump criticized Rep. Chip Roy, R-Tx., claiming the lawmaker was “obsessed, as usual, that he has another big Republican victory – all for the sake of some cheap publicity for himself.”
“Weak and ineffective people like Chip should be dismissed as completely ignorant of the ways of politics and of making America great again,” Trump asserted in a post on Truth Social.
TRUMP-BACKED SPENDING BILL PROPOSAL
President-elect Donald Trump speaks during a press conference at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort on December 16, 2024 in Palm Beach, Florida. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
Lee spoke highly of Roy after Trump defeated the Lone Star State representative.
“There is no more staunch champion of conservative politics, constitutionally limited government, or MAGA principles than @ChipRoyTX,” Lee said in a post on X. “President Trump will have no more principled, hard-working ally than @ChipRoyTX,” he said. added. “If there is a more committed defender of the Constitution today, I have not met him.”
Roy gave a fiery speech ahead of Thursday’s vote, blasting the new version of the spending proposal and the Republicans who support it.
“Yes, I think this bill is better than it was yesterday in certain respects,” Roy noted, adding that “congratulating yourself because it’s shorter in pages but increases the debt by $5 trillion is nonsense.”
Roy said he was “sick of a party that stands for fiscal responsibility and has the audacity” to suggest the proposal is “fiscally responsible. It’s absolutely ridiculous,” he argued.
Sen. PaulR-Ky., reposted a clip of Roy’s speech and commented, “We are either fiscally conservative or we are not. An unlimited increase in the debt ceiling for 2 years is not fiscally conservative and should be rejected.”
MASSIE COMES OUT AGAINST JOHNSON’S KEEPING OF THE HAMMER: ‘HE DOESN’T HAVE MY VOTE’
U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, R-Tx., speaks to the media after the House of Representatives failed to pass a government funding bill at the U.S. Capitol on December 19, 2024 in Washington, DC (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
CLICK TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
In a post on X, Roy noted, “I am currently against raising the debt ceiling without major spending cuts/reforms.”
Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., who like Roy, voted against passage of the spending proposal Thursday, suggested that instead of voting on comprehensive measures, there should be more measures that receive individual votes.
“This is not complicated. Take the bills apart and vote on them individually. one vote on clean CR one vote on debt limit one vote on disaster relief one vote on farm bailouts Radical right? Individual bills for each issue,” he posted.
Lee agreed with him.
“Separate your accounts,” he wrote. “Vote on them individually,” he added. “Revolutionary!”
