The opposition Republican Party, the majority party in the U.S. House of Representatives, held a second vote on the 18th to select House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (59, photo) as the new Speaker of the House, but failed. Chairman Jordan was disgraced, receiving 17 fewer votes than he received in the first round. He announced his intention to challenge the third vote, which will be held on the 19th at the earliest, but there is considerable opposition within the party, so it is assessed that the election of the chairman was virtually abandoned. As the unprecedented vacuum in the history of the Constitutional Assembly continues, concerns are growing that aid to Israel and Ukraine will be disrupted and the possibility of a federal government ‘shutdown’ (temporary suspension of work) is increasing.
Chairman Jordan received 199 votes in the vote on the 18th. To be elected speaker of the House, he must receive at least 217 votes, a majority of the current 433 members. Previously, he only received 200 votes in his first round of voting as well. The mainstream Republican Party is opposing Chairman Jordan, saying his tendency to agree with former President Donald Trump’s claim that the 2020 presidential election results were fraudulent is too far-right.
Despite two failed attempts, Chairman Jordan has not resigned from his candidacy for Speaker of the House and is sticking to his intention to work to persuade the opposition. It is argued that there is no reason why he cannot vote additionally, as a whopping 15 votes were cast when former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who served as Speaker from January of this year to the 3rd of this month, was elected.
However, there are significant voices within the party calling for Chairman Jordan, who has already suffered two hardships, to step down and appoint a new chairman. Some are calling for more power to be given to Acting House Speaker Patrick McHenry, who currently oversees the voting process to elect the Speaker of the House. As it is unlikely that the absence of the Speaker of the House will be resolved in the short term, this means that conditions must be created so that the Congress can promote various bills even without the Speaker.
The Freedom Caucus, a group of hard-line Republican lawmakers including Chairman Jordan, led to the dismissal of former Chairman McCarthy on the 3rd on the grounds that he was conciliatory with the ruling Democratic Party. Acting Chairman McHenry, who has since served as acting chairman, is close to former chairman McCarthy and receives a lot of support from the mainstream Republican Party. But hardliners oppose giving Acting McHenry more powers.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.