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What’s New
Republican Kentucky Senator Rand Paul issued his yearly list of grievances Monday, an homage to the “Festivus” holiday celebrated on the sitcom Seinfeld, by saying that it was not hard to come up with a list when working in Congress.
Among those Paul called out was House Speaker Mike Johnson, whom he predicted would be out of the seat by spring.
Newsweek reached out to Johnson’s office for comment via email Monday afternoon.
Why It Matters
Although seemingly tongue-in-cheek, Paul’s Festivus list has been a fixture of his X, formerly Twitter, account for a decade. The grievance list is not just directed at Democratic Party members but those within the Republican Party and government agencies that Paul sees as having misbehaved or not delivered for the American people.
Andrew Harnik/Kent Nishimura/Getty Images
What To Know
“It’s that time of year again. Happy Festivus! I’ve got a lot of problems with you people! And now, you’re gonna hear about it,” Paul posted on X Monday morning, along with a GIF from the classic sitcom.
In an extensive thread, Paul invited followers to grab their eggnog, sit by their tree, and prepare to see some chestnuts roasted, following the tradition initiated by the character George Costanza’s father, Frank, who would gather relatives and tell them how they had annoyed him that year.
The senator said it was hard to know where to begin, listing former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Dr. Anthony Fauci, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris as potential top hits.
House speakers also got attention. Firstly, former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, whom Paul said spent more than $30 million trying to defeat his opponents who voted him out last year. The senator also pondered why McCarthy was still appearing on TV when he did not hold the speaker role any longer.
Turning to the current speaker, Paul said he had promised to roast Johnson and whoever put him in power by this Festivus.
“As usual, I am right,” Paul posted. “I want to be the first to congratulate former Speaker Johnson, who will be gone before D.C. gets warm again.”
Johnson has been facing growing calls to step down as speaker after just 13 months, following his handling of the potential government shutdown, which was averted at the last minute in a vote Friday night.
Paul also pointed to the annual Festivus report that he publishes, with this year’s claiming that trillions of dollars had been misspent through “government waste.” He used this to call for Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy to listen to him as they head the new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) under President-elect Donald Trump.
What People Are Saying
Senator Rand Paul in his Festivus 2024 report: “As always, taking the path to fiscal responsibility is often a lonely journey, but I’ve been fighting government waste like DOGE before DOGE was cool. And I will continue my fight against government waste this holiday season.”
Steve Hoeft, coach and author who posts about cutting government waste, on X: “If it wasn’t so dadgum disgusting, Rand’s Festivus highlight page would be funny. This was OUR money!”
Paul A. Szypula, an X user who posts in support of Trump, said: “DOGE is a Festivus miracle!”
What’s Next
Paul was not finished Monday morning, promising: “There’s a lot more, and I’ll be back in a bit to tell you all about it! We will talk about cabinet picks, the presidential race, Biden, Harris, more waste, and more Christmas and Festivus Cheer!”