Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) and Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) offered two wildly divergent takes on the government shutdown in the span of twenty-four hours, which led to Lee’s comments taking on new life.
Lee was on Fox News Wednesday night and boasted that OMB Director Russ Vought “has been dreaming about this moment, preparing for this moment since puberty” – referring to the shutdown allowing Vought to cut government programs and projects at will.
Lee said of the Democrats, who he blamed for the shutdown, “It’s going to harm them because Russ Vought, the OMB director, has been dreaming about this moment, preparing for this moment since puberty. Russ Vought has a plan, and that plan is going to succeed in empowering, further empowering, Trump. This is going to be the Democrats’ worst nightmare, and it’s of their own making.”
Lee’s near-giddy remarks struck quite a contrast from Speaker Johnson, who warned of “painful” cuts.
Johnson said Vought “takes no pleasure in this, because Russ has to sit down and decide, because he’s in charge of that office, which policies, personnel, and which programs are essential and which are not.”
“That is not a fun task, and he is not enjoying that responsibility. And it could end today if the Senate Democrats would come to their senses and do the right thing for the American people. But if they don’t, and if they keep the government closed, it’s going to get more and more painful, because the resources run out, and more and more things have to be reduced and eliminated,” Johnson added.
Many journalists and pundits were quick to point out the two statements and their contradictory messages:
What exactly is it, then, that they have been lusting to do to the country? https://t.co/lj5Mw570uZ
— George Conway
(@gtconway3d) October 2, 2025
(@gtconway3d) __
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