Connecticut Democrat Rep. Rosa DeLauro gave a furious speech in the House during a debate over continuing resolution legislation to keep the government funded.
The representative, who has been in Congress since 1991, made a spectacle of herself as she ranted about “President Musk,” a dig at President-elect Donald Trump as she insinuated that Tesla and Space X CEO Elon Musk is the person who is really in charge.
“We agreed on a bill, and you know what? They got scared because President Musk told them, President Musk said ‘Don’t do it, don’t do it, shut the government down,’” the representative, who for some reason at the age of 81 has purple hair, said.
“What does he know about what people go through when the government shuts down?” The 17-term lawmaker with an annual salary of $174,000 continued on. “Are his employees furloughed? Hell no! Is he furloughed? No! And when you shut the government down, people don’t get paid. And maybe if none of us got paid if the government got shut down, some people on the other side of the aisle would feel differently about where we’re going and this effort!” she said.
“Think about it: Biden, McCarthy, deal, come together. Next day, walk away! Johnson, Schumer, deal. Next day, walk away!” she said.
Yes, this is terrifying. pic.twitter.com/xQbMBchQUJ
— Carmine Sabia (@CarmineSabia) December 20, 2024
Nevertheless, some Republicans have even suggested electing Musk the next Speaker of the House, replacing Speaker Mike Johnson.
The tumultuous collapse of the continuing resolution spending bill has put House Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-La.) leadership under intense scrutiny, with Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) suggesting Elon Musk, President-elect Trump’s pick to co-chair the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), as a potential replacement.
Paul took to Musk’s platform, X, on Thursday morning to float the idea of the tech billionaire assuming the role of House speaker, pointing out that the position does not require the speaker to be a sitting member of Congress.
“The Speaker of the House need not be a member of Congress… 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),” wrote Paul.
Musk, a vocal critic of government waste, has actively engaged in the spending bill debate, spearheading a conservative revolt against the latest proposal over its excessive spending provisions. He has also called for lawmakers who supported the bill to be voted out of office.
“Any member of the House or Senate who votes for this outrageous spending bill deserves to be voted out in 2 years!” Musk wrote on X.
The once-massive 1,500-plus page spending bill was replaced by a much slimmer version on Thursday, but it, too, went down in defeat when the required two-thirds House majority needed to change a rule in order to approve the measure without it going through committee failed to support it.
It’s unclear if Paul was serious in his suggestion or if the post was made sarcastically, but Democratic political strategist Jimmy Williams rejected the idea out of hand.
“Senators should stick to Senating and House Members should stick to their Chamber,” Williams wrote on X. “No House Member gives a damn what a Senator thinks about who should be Speaker.”
However, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., voiced her support.
“I’d be open to supporting @elonmusk for Speaker of the House,” Greene wrote on X, replying to Paul. “DOGE can only truly be accomplished by reigning in Congress to enact real government efficiency. The establishment needs to be shattered just like it was yesterday. This could be the way.”
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