Donald Trump ally Jim Jordan lost Republican support to become the party’s nominee for speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. This situation further aggravates the institutional crisis the country is going through.
In a secret ballot, Republican members withdrew their support for Jim Jordan, announcing that they would meet soon to choose a new candidate for speaker. Jordan, a member of the conservative fringe of the party and close to Donald Trump, confirmed that he would not run again.
It has already been three weeks since the lower house of the US Congress was unable to vote on a bill, leaving the country in a deadlock. Meanwhile, President Joe Biden has asked Congress for a considerable budget increase to address various issues, such as support for Israel and Ukraine, the response to China and the management of migrant arrivals to the southern border of the country.
The impeachment of Kevin McCarthy last October exacerbated divisions within the Republican Party, between moderates and Trump supporters. Jim Jordan had already failed twice to get elected to the perch, and this new defeat marks an important turning point in his political career.
Some parliamentarians had already called on Jordan to abandon his candidacy, and Republican elected officials had clearly indicated that they would not vote in his favor, even if he decided to persist. They consider that Jordan represents a danger for democracy, and want to find a new speaker who can obtain the support of both political sides.
In this political impasse, Hakeem Jeffries, head of the Democratic parliamentary group in the House of Representatives, stressed the urgency of unblocking the situation in order to guarantee national security and prevent lives from being put in danger. He said getting the House back to business requires the participation of reasonable Republicans who actually want to get things done.
In conclusion, the loss of Republican support for Jim Jordan to become Speaker of the House of Representatives marks a new stage in the institutional crisis facing the United States. The choice of a new speaker approved by both political sides becomes a priority in order to break the deadlock and allow Congress to function effectively.