Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) on Thursday nominated Elon Musk to be the next Speaker of the House.
Musk, who is in charge of President-elect Donald Trump's efforts to cut government waste, successfully put enormous pressure on Republican House leaders to repeal Wednesday's spending bill in a series of X posts.
House Speaker Mike Johnson and House Democrats included a continuing resolution that mirrors the omnibus bill's bulk pork bill, Breitbart News' Bradley Jay reports.
Johnson's 1,547-page year-end spending deal, released Tuesday night after a days-long deadline, has been criticized by Republicans of all ideological stripes for its content and Johnson's mishandling of the negotiations and rollout. The bill failed in less than 24 hours because of opposition to the bill.
Conservatives, moderates, staunch rank-and-file Republicans, and even committee chairs slammed the bill as giving too much to Democrats.
President-elect Donald Trump and soon-to-be Vice President J.D. Vance issued a statement Thursday afternoon urging Republicans to pursue a clean continuance resolution with only a top-up that addresses the debt ceiling.
After the bankruptcy, Paul appeared to support Musk as a speaker.
“The Speaker of the House does not have to be a member of Congress,” Paul posted on X. “Nothing will disrupt this swamp more than electing Elon Musk. . . . Think about it. . . Nothing is impossible. Not to mention the joy of watching the love you never had fall away).
Johnson's speaking career appears to be in jeopardy.
punch bowl reported On Mr. Johnson's precarious position Wednesday evening:
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) has already said he will not support Johnson as speaker. Massey was leaning in that direction, but said the CR fiasco was a “tipping point.”
And we've heard from multiple sources that there are more Republicans (at least two) in Massie's camp. Some of Johnson's critics have already privately come forward behind the scenes as potential candidates, including House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan and House Majority Whip Tom Emmer. Mr Jordan and Mr Emmer both ran for chair after the council ousted Kevin McCarthy. They both lost. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise may also be a candidate.
Rep. Eli Crane, R-Ariz., said he was “undecided” on whether to vote for Johnson and acknowledged he was discussing potential alternatives behind the scenes. Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) is reportedly leaning toward “no.” Rep. Eric Burleson (R-Missouri), Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.), and Rep. Cory Mills (R-Fla.) have not taken a stance. Rep. Victoria Spartz (R-Ind.) has always been a wild card.
President Trump on Thursday laid out a path for Johnson to retain the speakership in the next Congress. President Trump's roadmap to Prime Minister Johnson appears to set out a set of reasonable demands, but given the possibility of a government shutdown before Christmas, President Trump's demands may be difficult to achieve. do not have.
Wendell Husebo is a political reporter for Breitbart News and a former RNC war room analyst. He is the author of The Politics of Slave Morality. Follow Wendell “×” @WendellHusebø or society of truth @WendellHusebo.
