Mike Lee predicts demise of Johnson speakership, calls for 'DOGE speaker'

Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, predicted that House Speaker Mike Johnson would not retain the gavel next year and called for either Elon Musk or Vivek Ramaswamy to fill the leadership role.

"I don't think the speaker is going to remain in power," Lee predicted during a Thursday night appearance on "Jesse Watters Primetime."

The senator went on to say if he is correct, the next speaker should be a "DOGE speaker," a reference to the Department of Governmental Efficiency. President-elect Donald Trump tapped Musk and Ramaswamy to lead the effort to advocate for reduced government spending.

"Vivek, Elon if you're watching, please sign up, America needs you," Lee said.

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In a Thursday morning post on X, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., had floated the idea of Musk for House speaker.

"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)," Paul posted Thursday morning.

This week, with the prospect of a potential partial government shutdown looming, conservatives railed against a 1,547-page government spending measure advocated by House Speaker Mike Johnson. 

President-elect Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance also weighed in, declaring 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 with a temporary funding bill WITHOUT DEMOCRAT GIVEAWAYS combined with an increase in the debt ceiling."

Before a vote on Thursday, in which 38 House Republicans and most Democrats rejected a reworked proposal with a much lower page count, Trump lambasted Rep. Chip Roy, R-Tx., claiming that the lawmaker was "getting in the way, as usual, of having yet another Great Republican Victory - All for the sake of some cheap publicity for himself."

"Weak and ineffective people like Chip have to be dismissed as being utterly unknowledgeable as to the ways of politics, and as to Making America Great Again," Trump asserted in a Truth Social post.

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Lee spoke highly of Roy after Trump trashed the Lone Star State lawmaker.

"There is not a more faithful advocate of conservative policy, constitutionally limited government, or MAGA principles than @ChipRoyTX," Lee declared in a post on X. "President Trump will not have a more principled, hardworking ally than @ChipRoyTX," he added. "If a more devoted advocate for the Constitution exists today, I have not met that person."

Roy delivered a fiery speech ahead of the vote on Thursday, in which he blasted the new version of the spending proposal and the Republicans supporting it.

"Yes, I think this bill is better than it was yesterday on certain respects," Roy noted, adding that to "congratulate yourself because it's shorter in pages but increases the debt by $5 trillion is asinine."

Roy said he was "sickened by a party that campaigns on fiscal responsibility and has the temerity" to suggest the proposal was "fiscally responsible. It is absolutely ridiculous," he asserted.

Sen. Paul, R-Ky., reposted a clip of Roy's speech, and commented, "We are either fiscally conservative or not. An unlimited increase in the debt ceiling for 2 years is not fiscally conservative and should be rejected."

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In a post on X, Roy noted, "Currently, I’m against raising the debt ceiling without major spending cuts/reform."

Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., who like Roy, voted against passing the spending proposal on Thursday, suggested that instead of voting on a catchall measure, there should be multiple measures that receive individual votes.

"This isn’t complicated. Separate the bills and vote on them individually. one vote on the clean CR one vote on the 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 the bills," he wrote. "Vote on them individually," he added. "Revolutionary!"