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Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul released his annual grievance list Monday, an homage to the holiday “Festivus” celebrated on the sitcom Seinfeld, and said it’s not hard to make a list when working in Congress create.

Among those Paul called out was House Speaker Mike Johnson, who he said would be out of office by the spring.

Newsweek emailed Johnson’s office seeking comment Monday afternoon.

Why it matters

Although seemingly ironic, Paul’s Festivus list has been a staple on his X account, formerly Twitter, for a decade. The list of complaints is aimed not only at members of the Democratic Party, but also those within the Republican Party and government agencies who Paul believes have behaved badly or failed to stand up for the American people.

What you should know

“It’s that time again. Happy Festivus! I have a lot of problems with you! And now you’re going to know about it,” Paul posted on X on Monday morning along with a GIF from the classic sitcom .

In a lengthy thread, Paul invited his followers to get their eggnog, sit by their tree and prepare to watch some roasted chestnuts. He was following the tradition started by George Costanza’s father, Frank, who gathered relatives and told them how much they had annoyed him that year.

The senator said it was hard to know where to start, naming former National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases director Dr. Anthony Fauci, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris as potential top hits.

House speakers also drew attention. First, former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who Paul says spent more than $30 million to defeat his opponents who voted him out last year. The senator also questioned why McCarthy was still appearing on television even though he was no longer in the role of announcer.

Paul addressed the current speaker and said he promised to destroy Johnson and everyone who brought him to power at this Festivus.

“As always, I’m right,” Paul wrote. “I want to be the first to congratulate former Speaker Johnson, who will be gone before the weather warms up in DC.”

Johnson is facing increasing calls to step down after just 13 months as speaker following his handling of the possible government shutdown, which was averted at the last minute by a vote on Friday evening.

Paul also pointed to the annual Festivus report he published, which this year claimed that trillions of dollars had been misspent through “government waste.” He called on Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy to listen to him as they lead the new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) under President-elect Donald Trump.

What people say

Senator Rand Paul in his report on Festivus 2024: “As always, the road to fiscal responsibility is often a lonely one, but I was 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 writes about reducing government waste, on X: “If it weren’t so gross, Rand’s Festivus highlights page would be funny. That 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 wasn’t finished Monday morning and promised, “There’s a lot more and I’ll be back in a moment to tell you all about it!” We will talk about cabinet picks, the presidential election, Biden, Harris, more waste, etc. “more Christmas and holiday cheer!”