Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, believes House Speaker Mike Johnson won’t keep his position next year. He suggested Elon Musk or Vivek Ramaswamy could take on the leadership role instead.
"I don't think the speaker is going to remain in power," Lee said on "Jesse Watters Primetime." He added that the next speaker should be a "DOGE speaker," referencing the Department of Governmental Efficiency.
"Vivek, Elon if you're watching, please sign up, America needs you," Lee urged.
Watch the latest video at foxnews.comSen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., also floated Musk as a potential speaker in a post on X. "Nothing would disrupt the swamp more than electing Elon Musk . . . think about it," Paul wrote. He added it would make the establishment "lose their ever-lovin’ minds."
Conservatives pushed back this week against Speaker Johnson’s 1,547-page spending proposal. A looming government shutdown heightened tensions, with Republicans criticizing the plan’s lack of cuts.
President-elect Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance joined the debate, calling for a temporary funding bill without "Democrat giveaways." "Republicans want to support our farmers and set our country up for success in 2025," they said in a statement.
Trump attacked Rep. Chip Roy, R-Tx., ahead of the vote, accusing him of blocking progress. "Weak and ineffective people like Chip have to be dismissed," Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Lee defended Roy, calling him a "faithful advocate of conservative policy" on X. "If a more devoted advocate for the Constitution exists today, I have not met that person," he said.
Roy delivered a fiery speech condemning the spending bill. "To congratulate yourself because it's shorter in pages but increases the debt by $5 trillion is asinine," he argued. He blasted Republicans for abandoning fiscal responsibility.
Sen. Paul reposted Roy’s speech, agreeing with his stance. "An unlimited increase in the debt ceiling for 2 years is not fiscally conservative," Paul commented.
Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., proposed splitting the spending plan into separate bills for individual votes. "This isn’t complicated," he posted. Lee supported the idea, calling it "revolutionary."