Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) said that Democrats are not willing to help Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) as he faces criticism from hardline members of his party, billionaire Elon Musk, and President-Elect Donald Trump.
On Tuesday, Johnson introduced a continuing resolution to keep the government funded until March 14, in an effort to prevent a government shutdown that was set to begin on December 21. While some conservative members of the House were unhappy with the bill, things started to get worse for Johnson when Elon Musk posted over 70 tweets criticizing the resolution. Many of his tweets contained false information. After Musk’s criticism, former President Donald Trump also voiced his disapproval. Trump even threatened Republicans who supported the bill, warning them they could face primary challenges in the future. Soon after, Johnson decided to abandon the plan and withdrew the bill.
“There is no new agreement right now,” Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) said, confirming that there had been no progress since the resolution was scrapped.
Crockett spoke about the situation on MSNBC’s Alex Wagner Tonight on Wednesday. The host, Alex Wagner, asked her to explain what was going on in the House of Representatives.
“What is going on in the House of Representatives?” Wagner asked. “This was supposed to be a simple process. They were just going to pass the continuing resolution, but now it has turned into a huge mess, and some people are even calling for Speaker Johnson to be removed from office. How are Democrats seeing this?”
“We’re seeing this as their problem,” Crockett responded. “We’ve seen this kind of chaos happen over and over again during the two years I’ve been in Congress. This is something that they have to figure out on their own.”
Crockett also mentioned the chaotic situation during the January 2023 vote for Speaker of the House. It took 15 rounds of voting before Kevin McCarthy was finally chosen as Speaker, but his time in office was short-lived. In October, McCarthy was removed, and it took Republicans weeks to finally settle on Johnson as a replacement.
“Remember, Johnson wasn’t one of the most senior members of the House,” Crockett explained. “He hadn’t made enough enemies, so the Republicans had to go really far down in seniority to find someone they could all agree on. We’ve seen this happen many times before, and honestly, I’m just going to sit back and enjoy the show while they try to sort it out.”
Alex Wagner jokingly added, “Or maybe something stronger,” hinting that Crockett might need something stronger than tea to get through all the chaos.
Crockett’s comments reflect the growing frustration many Democrats feel with the Republican Party’s internal struggles. While Republicans try to sort out their differences, Democrats are watching from the sidelines, waiting to see what happens next in the ongoing leadership drama.
