Rep. Jim Jordan
Rep. Jim Jordan, a conservative Republican from Ohio, is calling for a vote on whether he would succeed ousted Speaker Kevin McCarthy and put an end to the House’s protracted gridlock due to intense GOP divides on Tuesday.
Jordan has gained significant support from holdouts ahead of Tuesday’s vote, which comes two weeks after McCarthy’s historic ouster, and his supporters are certain that the Ohio Republican can get the 217 votes required to be elected speaker. However, it is unclear if Jordan will be able to unify the House Republican Conference, since several legislators remain hostile.
This is due to the fact that Jordan can only afford to lose four Republican votes in order to win the election for speaker, which requires a majority of the votes cast in the House. The razor-thin margin was what led to McCarthy’s ouster at the hands of a band of eight Republican rebels, and a small handful of House Republicans who are unhappy with Jordan’s ascendancy might stop his promotion as well.
But over the past few days, Jordan and his allies have made a lot of progress. The Ohio Republican has been talking to skeptical lawmakers one-on-one, and Jordan’s allies outside of Congress have been attacking the holdouts and threatening them with political consequences if they don’t support a Trump-backed GOP candidate.
On Monday, Jordan expressed the need to secure a speaker for the following day, just after departing from a confidential GOP conference meeting. The American populace is entitled to a functioning Congress, wherein its elected House representatives diligently fulfill their duties. The occurrence of such an event is contingent upon the acquisition of a speaker.
The 55 Republicans who voted last Friday against backing Jordan on the floor have now been reduced to the teens, according to Jordan’s supporters. One Republican legislator has speculated that the number of surviving critics is around 10.
On Monday, several critical holdouts, including Missouri Representative Ann Wagner, who had previously labeled Jordan a “nonstarter,” announced their support for Jordan.
Rep. Nicole Malliotakis of New York stated, “I believe he has the ability to unite the entire Republican party, from moderates to ultraconservatives.” “The bottom line is that we must return to employment. We can’t afford to squander time here.”
Even if Jordan does not receive the required number of votes on the initial ballot, he could force additional votes, as McCarthy did during the 15 rounds it took him to become speaker in January.
As a result of McCarthy’s six-week interim spending agreement, which prompted the action against him, the House is unable to contemplate legislation, such as approving additional military aid to Israel or government financing, until it elects a speaker. A government shutdown looms in less than a month as a result.
Some people are skeptical of Jordan and might speak out against him in public. These include GOP lawmakers who are still mad that a small group of Republicans got rid of McCarthy and then fought against the speaker nomination of House Majority Leader Steve Scalise. Scalise beat Jordan in the GOP conference by a vote of 113 to 99.
Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska said, “I can’t get over the fact that a small group in our conference broke the rules to get rid of Kevin and then blocked Steve.” That other people can’t follow the rules and still get what they want? That’s not how things work. That’s not very American. People in the US want fair play and the rule of law.
Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart of Florida declared he would keep standing beside Scalise in the chamber. He remarked on Monday: “You can remember we had an election; the guy who won was the guy I was with,” adding that any attempts to coerce him would be unsuccessful.
Several Republicans, including those from Joe Biden’s constituency, chose not to declare their support for Jordan on the floor on Monday evening.
Those who supported Jordan have asked the conference to unite behind him, including those who attacked McCarthy and disagreed with Scalise.
Rep. Scott Perry of Pennsylvania claimed that while Jordan backed both McCarthy and Scalise, people who were upset shouldn’t vent their resentment on him.
“Feelings are hurt,” stated Perry. “However, Jim had nothing to do with that. Therefore, they must direct their anger, if you will, against people who they believe deserve it, but Jim Jordan is definitely not one of them.
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