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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 didn’t need to be a member of Congress.
“The Speaker of the House does not have to be a member of Congress… Nothing would disturb the swamp more than electing Elon Musk… think about it… nothing is impossible. (Not to mention the joy of seeing the collective establishment, a.k.a. “one-party,” lose its ever-loving mind),” wrote Paul, a staunchly libertarian conservative on fiscal matters.
Speaker Mike Johnson, left, could face a leadership battle over his handling of the spending bill, with Sen. Rand Paul suggesting Elon Musk replace him. (Kent Nishimura/Getty Images, left, and Antonio Masiello/Getty Images, right.)
Musk, an outspoken critic of government waste, has weighed in on the spending bill debate and led a conservative revolt against the latest plan over its bloated spending provisions, calling for lawmakers who supported to the bill lose their seats.
“Any member of the House or Senate who votes for this outrage expense invoice deserves a vote in 2 years!” Musk wrote to 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 as he left the Capitol Wednesday night. It came after GOP critics of the spending bill spent much of the day attacking Johnson’s handling of the issue.
It is not clear if Paul was serious in his suggestion or if the post was made tongue in cheek.
Democratic political strategist Jimmy Williams opposed the idea.
“Senators should stick to the Senate and House members should stick to their House,” Williams wrote to X. “No House member gives a damn what a senator about who should be president.”
However, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., supported the idea.
“I would be open to supporting @elonmusk for Speaker of the House,” Greene wrote on X in response to Paul. “DOGE can only be achieved by truly reigning in Congress to enact real government efficiency. The establishment must be torn apart as it was yesterday. That might be the way.”
Johnson ascended to the presidency after former Speaker of the House Representative Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., was ousted late last year in a move initiated by eight Republican rebels, becoming the first House speaker to be ousted from office in U.S. history.
Sen. Rand Paul has floated the idea of replacing House Speaker Mike Johnson with Elon Musk after the chaotic collapse of the continuing resolution spending bill. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-NY, said last week that no Democrats will vote on Johnson’s bill, which is scheduled for Jan. 3.
With the Republicans willing to celebrate a four–majority of seats, Johnson retaining the gavel is not guaranteed.
Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., said Wednesday he will not vote for Johnson, except for a “Christmas miracle”. Earlier this year, Massie supported Greene in pushing for Johnson’s removal as speaker, but the vast majority of members of both parties ultimately voted to step up the impeachment effort.
With Rep. Victoria Spartz, R-Ind., saying she will no longer meet with Republicans as long as she remains a registered Republican, that may reduce Johnson’s support to just one vote.
Paul is not the only senator who has an opinion about Johnson’s leadership.
On Wednesday, Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., took aim at the House Speaker for the chaotic situation unfolding on Capitol Hill and suggested a change.
Elon Musk, right, weighed in on the bill’s debate and led a conservative revolt against the latest plan because of its overblown spending provisions, calling on lawmakers who supported the bill to lose their seats (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
“It’s ridiculous. It’s a horrible plan. I can’t believe the Republican leadership ever cooked this up,” Hawley told Hannity.
“Clearly, they didn’t talk a trump About that, and I tell you what, we need to take a serious look at who’s running this Congress because if that’s the best they can do, I mean, it’s total incompetence, that’s a disaster.”
Hawley said the latest plan would impose a “terrible spending bill” on the incoming administration and would need to be revisited in March.
“Under this bill, they would shut down the government again, they would have to do everything again, they would have to raise the debt ceiling again later in the same year.”
“This bill right here would add hundreds of billions of dollars to the deficit, and the worst part is, it’s all for Dem priorities.”
Fox News’ Danielle Wallace and Alex Nitzberg contributed to this report.
