Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) has expressed his belief that current House Speaker Mike Johnson will not retain his position next year. During an appearance on "Jesse Watters Primetime," Lee suggested that either Elon Musk or Vivek Ramaswamy should take the helm, referring to them as potential "DOGE speakers" in a nod to the Department of Governmental Efficiency initiative they've been tapped to lead under President-elect Trump. Lee emphasized the need for their leadership in advocating for reduced government spending.
This follows a suggestion by Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) on social media platform X, where he posited that electing Musk as Speaker would significantly "disrupt the swamp." The discussion comes amidst controversy surrounding a proposed government spending measure, which faced strong opposition from conservatives. President-elect Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance issued a joint statement advocating for a temporary funding bill without "Democrat giveaways" and tied to an increase in the debt ceiling.
Prior to a House vote on a revised spending proposal, Trump criticized Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) for opposing the bill. However, Lee publicly defended Roy, praising his commitment to conservative principles and the MAGA agenda. Roy delivered a passionate speech criticizing the spending proposal and those Republicans supporting it, arguing against increasing the debt. Senator Paul echoed Roy’s concerns, emphasizing the need for fiscal conservatism. Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) also voted against the bill and proposed voting on individual spending measures rather than a comprehensive package, a suggestion supported by Lee.
Roy reiterated his opposition to raising the debt ceiling without significant spending cuts and reforms.
