Interim solution failed
No waiver – US Republican Jordan wants to run for the third time
October 20, 2023, 2:36 a.m
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The deeply divided Republicans accept a House of Representatives that is still unable to act. The idea of leaving the executive chairman in office with more powers for a transitional period does not find a majority. In an apparently heated meeting, hardliner Jordan insisted on running again.
In the internal party struggle among US Republicans in the US House of Representatives, the interim solution sought by some MPs failed. Consideration had been given to giving executive chairman Patrick McHenry more powers until January. “We have decided that this is not the path we will take,” said right-wing hardliner Jim Jordan, nominated for the position of speaker, after a parliamentary group meeting. “I am continuing to run for Speaker, and I plan to hold a floor vote to get the votes to win this race.” The next vote was scheduled for Friday morning (local time).
The ally of former US President Donald Trump has so far failed in two rounds of elections due to resistance from his own ranks. He even lost support from his party between the two rounds. Because the House of Representatives is largely paralyzed without a chairman and therefore cannot, among other things, decide on new aid for Israel, members of the House of Representatives had been working on an interim solution. According to media reports, Jordan agreed to suspend his candidacy for a few months.
US media such as the news channel CNN and the Washington Post had previously reported that Jordan supporters had spoken out against the interim solution. They therefore want him to seek an immediate election. Moderate Republicans, on the other hand, want Jordan to withdraw his candidacy entirely. The representative from the state of Ohio, known for his sharply right-wing positions and his aggressive political style, is also highly controversial within his own ranks. Numerous Republican representatives have confirmed that they will also vote against him in further elections.
Loud group meeting
The House of Representatives has been paralyzed for two and a half weeks: the previous Republican chairman, Kevin McCarthy, was deposed on October 3rd in the wake of a revolt by right-wing hardliners in his own party. Since then, the conservatives, who have a narrow majority in the House of Representatives, have been fighting over his successor.
The meeting of the Republican caucus on Thursday was apparently heated. McCarthy is said to have shouted at right-wing MP Matt Gaetz, who had submitted the motion to remove him.
The chaos among the Republicans has far-reaching consequences: without a chairman, the parliamentary chamber is paralyzed when it comes to legislation. This means, among other things, that Congress cannot decide on any further military aid for Israel, which has been attacked by the radical Islamic Palestinian organization Hamas, or Ukraine, which has been attacked by Russia. The USA is also threatened with a so-called shutdown in mid-November without a solution to the budget dispute.