The chaotic collapse of the continuing resolution spending bill is putting House Speaker Mike Johnson’s leadership under the spotlight and Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., has floated the idea of replacing him with Elon Musk, President-elect Trump’s pick to co-chair his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Paul took to Musk’s X Thursday morning to pitch the idea of the tech billionaire taking the House Speaker’s gavel, noting that the Speaker does not need to be a sitting member of Congress.
“The Speaker of the House need not be a member of Congress… Nothing would disrupt the swamp more than electing Elon Musk… think about it… nothing’s impossible. (not to mention the joy at seeing the collective establishment, aka ‘uniparty,’ lose their ever-lovin’ minds),” wrote Paul, a staunchly libertarian conservative on fiscal matters.
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Musk, an outspoken critic of government waste, has weighed in on the spending bill debate and led a conservative revolt against the latest plan due to its bloated spending provisions – calling for lawmakers who supported the bill to lose their seats.
“Any member of the House or Senate who votes for this outrageous spending bill deserves to be voted out in 2 years!” Musk wrote on X. The legislation has angered conservatives, including President-elect Trump who also called for it to be scrapped.
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., confirmed to reporters that the deal was dead while leaving the Capitol on Wednesday night. It came after GOP critics of the spending bill spent much of the day attacking Johnson’s handling of the issue.
It’s unclear if Paul was serious in his suggestion or if the post was made with tongue-in-cheek.
Democratic political strategist Jimmy Williams balked at the idea.
“Senators should stick to Senating and House Members should stick to their Chamber,” Williams wrote on X. “No House Member gives a damn what a Senator thinks about who should be Speaker.”
However, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., backed the idea.
“I’d be open to supporting @elonmusk for Speaker of the House,” Greene wrote on X replying to Paul. “DOGE can only truly be accomplished by reigning in Congress to enact real government efficiency. The establishment needs to be shattered just like it was yesterday. This could be the way.”
Johnson ascended to the speakership after former House Speaker Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., was ousted late last year in a move initiated by eight Republican rebels, becoming the first House speaker to be voted out of the position in U.S. history.
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House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D- N.Y., said last week that no Democrats will vote for Johnson’s bill, scheduled for Jan. 3.
With Republicans set to hold a four–seat majority, Johnson retaining the gavel is not guaranteed.
Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., said Wednesday that he won’t vote for Johnson, barring a “Christmas miracle.” Earlier this year, Massie supported Greene in pushing to remove Johnson from the speakership, but the vast majority of members in both parties ultimately voted to spike the ouster effort.
With Rep. Victoria Spartz, R-Ind., saying she will no longer caucus with Republicans while remaining a registered Republican, that may reduce Johnson’s support to a single vote.
Paul is not the only senator to weigh in on Johnson’s leadership.
On Wednesday, Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo, took aim at the House Speaker for the chaotic situation playing out on Capitol Hill and suggested change.
“It’s ridiculous. It’s a horrible plan. I can’t believe that Republican leadership ever cooked it up,” Hawley told Hannity.
“Clearly, they didn’t talk to Trump about it, and I tell you what, we need to have a serious look at who’s leading this Congress because if this is the best they could do, I mean, it’s just it’s total incompetence, this is a disaster.”
Hawley said the latest plan would saddle the incoming administration with a “terrible spending bill” and it would need to be revisited again in March.
“Under this bill, they’d shut the government down again, have to do this all over again, have to raise the debt ceiling again later, the same year.”
“This bill right here would add hundreds of billions of dollars to the deficit, and the worst part is, it is all for Dem priorities.”
Fox News’ Danielle Wallace and Alex Nitzberg contributed to this report.
