House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) could be the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives as early as Tuesday. A floor event is expected as early as Tuesday afternoon. Jordan is the Republican Party nominee for Speaker of the House, but will 217 Republicans vote for him? All six of Alabama’s Republican Congressmen are supporting Jordan.
On Monday, Congressman Dale Strong (R-AL05) announced his support for the sometimes polarizing Jordan.
“From day 1, I’ve called for a conservative Speaker who will prioritize fighting Biden’s failed policies,” Strong said on X. “From cutting spending, to securing our border— the American people want Congress to get to work. Jim Jordan is the right man to lead our conference as Speaker of the House.”
Congressman Robert Aderholt (R-AL04) also publicly announced he is backing Jordan.
“I told @Jim_Jordan on Friday that I fully support him to be the 56th Speaker of the House,” Aderholt announced X.
Congressman Mike Rogers (R-AL03) made national headlines on Friday when he announced his angry opposition to Jordan’s bid for the Speaker’s gavel. Less than 48 hours later, Rogers flipped his vote from never Jordan to being a supporter.
On Monday, former Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (R-California) came out and urged Republicans to get behind Jordan to end this chaos in Congress.
“It’s one thing to get elected. It’s another thing to govern,” McCarthy said. “It’s time to get the House out of this tailspin, come together, and get America back on the right track. @Jim_Jordan can do it.”
The previous nominee, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-Louisiana), failed to cobble together the 217 votes needed to win the seat and withdrew rather than being rejected in a floor vote. McCarthy lost 15 floor votes before being selected in June. McCarthy was ultimately toppled when eight disgruntled Republicans led by Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Florida) voted with Democrats to oust McCarthy as Speaker.
While Jordan appears to have united the Republican Conference, it only takes a handful of GOP holdouts to undo his bid, given the GOP’s narrow majority in the House. If he wins, it could take multiple rounds of voting for Jordan to win the Speakership.
Congressman Barry Moore (R-AL02), who has been an outspoken supporter of Jordan, is eager for the House to vote.
“I look forward to casting my vote for Jim Jordan as the 56th Speaker of the House tomorrow,” Rep. Moore said on X Monday. “Let’s get this done and get back to work for the American people.”
Congressmen Gary Palmer (R-AL06) and Jerry Carl (R-AL01) both are also publicly backing Jordan.
Whoever is elected as Speaker will be immediately confronted with enormous problems within a very short period. Congress failed to pass a budget for the 2024 fiscal year, which began on October 1. The federal government is operating on a 45-day continuing resolution (C.R.). Congress has until November 14 to send either a budget or another C.R. to President Joe Biden’s desk that he will sign or face a partial government shutdown in an increasingly shaky economy.
This side trip into Washington power politics has also left the armed forces in a lurch. Not only is the military operating without a budget, but both Houses have passed competing versions of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The NDAA is stuck in a conference committee while the military faces unprecedented threats from China, Russia, and Iran.
In his role as House Judiciary Committee Chairman, Jordan has been focused on investigating Biden’s administration and his son Hunter Biden’s questionable financial dealings. Those investigations and a possible impeachment of the President and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas have moved to the background while the Congress has been engulfed in its power struggle. If Jordan is selected as Speaker, his role will change from being the House GOP’s chief prosecutor to its chief negotiator with the Democratic-controlled Senate and President Biden.
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