Ultraconservative Jim Jordan, an ally of Donald Trump, has announced to fellow Republicans that he will suspend his bid for speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives and endorse Republican Patrick McHenry for the interim post, which could unblock Congress as president. Joe Biden is preparing to ask for significant financial aid for Ukraine and Israel, News.ro reports with reference to Reuters.

Republican Jim Jordan announced in a closed-door meeting Thursday that he will not seek a third vote to win the job and will instead support a plan that would give current House Speaker Patrick McHenry the authority to serve as speaker until January, several said. legislators

“I have no comments. We have an active and lively discussion,” Patrick McHenry limited himself to a statement to the press. As the current speaker of the House of Representatives, McHenry has no prerogatives other than organizing the vote for the election of the speaker, which has led to legislative paralysis in Congress.

The House has been without a leader for more than two weeks, and Jim Jordan twice fell short of the 217 votes needed to win the speakership as he faced opposition from Democrats and more than 20 of his moderate Republican colleagues.

The GOP’s hard-line wing has wielded enormous influence in the House this year, putting Washington on the brink of bankruptcy and leading to the ouster of Speaker Kevin McCarthy, a Republican, earlier this month who was criticized for compromising with the Biden administration.

Patrick McHenry’s interim mandate is an option that Democrats have also said they can support. The decision will allow Congress to get back to work, especially as Democratic President Joe Biden this week wants to ask Congress to approve up to $60 billion for Ukraine and $10 billion for Israel, as well as funding for U.S. government operations, which also expires in less than a month. .

The House could vote on the proposal this afternoon, said Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green, who said she did not support it.

It is not clear whether Jim Jordan, who is supported by former President Donald Trump, will completely abandon his candidacy for House leader or continue to try to win support among Republicans, Reuters noted.

The long battle for leadership in the chamber has revealed divisions among Republicans, who control the chamber by a narrow margin of 221 to 212 votes.

Investors say turmoil at the Capitol is also contributing to market volatility.

Jordan would be the third speaker candidate to fall victim to Republican infighting. Kevin McCarthy was ousted from office on October 3 by a small group of Republicans. Steve Scalise, Republican no. 2 in the House of Representatives, won the support of his party last week, but later dropped out after realizing he would not have the votes of all the elected Republicans he needed.

Kevin McCarthy. Photo: Michael Brochstein / Zuma Press / Profimedia Images

Jordan received 200 votes in his first attempt on Tuesday and 199 on Wednesday. One contender, Republican Rep. Don Bacon, predicted he would lose another 10 votes on his third try.

Republicans who voted against him cited differences of opinion on taxes and spending and accused him of undermining Scalise’s leadership last week. Others denied receiving harassing phone calls and even death threats from his supporters.

Jordan’s supporters say he would be an effective champion of conservative politics in the capital, where Democrats control the White House and the Senate.

Unlike other congressional leaders, Jordan has established himself as a hard-line defender of the party’s right wing, clashing with both Republicans and Democrats.

He encouraged government shutdowns in 2013 and 2018 and was a “major player” in Trump’s efforts to overturn Democrat Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory, according to a congressional investigation. He is also helping lead the Biden impeachment inquiry, which has so far found no evidence of wrongdoing by the president. (News.ro)