This week, Representative Jim Jordan (R-OH) stated that if he were chosen Speaker of the House, the first thing he would do is back Israel.
The legislator made the promise in an interview with Fox News as Israel launches an offensive against Hamas in response to the terrorist organization’s unexpected onslaught from Gaza over the weekend.
Maria Bartiromo, host of “Sunday Morning Futures,” asked Jordan, “Tell me what your first order of business as speaker would be?” The Ohio Republican replied, “to provide assistance to the state of Israel.”
“The state of Israel will be supported by a resolution that Jordan stated will be on the floor. That’s not all,” he said. There will also be talks with Senate leaders and House Foreign Affairs Chair Michael McCaul (R-TX).
Jordan went on, “We are going to collaborate with the White House as well as the State Dept. However, since the state of Israel is, once again, our wonderful friend and ally, I believe it has the full backing of the US government, both bicameral and bipartisan.”
A few GOP members spoke out against Representative Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) as speaker, and the House decided this past week to remove him from his position. It took eight Republicans and two Democrats to vote McCarthy out of office.
Following McCarthy’s announcement that he would not be running for the job again, two other Republicans, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) along with Jordan, who is the head of the House Judiciary Committee, indicated they would also run for speaker. This is likely to happen: Democrats will back someone like Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), who is the Minority Leader. Scalise and Jeffries, like Jordan, have spoken out against Hamas and said they back Israel. Former President Donald Trump also backs Jordan.
People have talked about how the United States might not be able to react as quickly to the violence in Israel because of the lack of a speaker for the last 36 hours. Representative Patrick McHenry (R-NC) is acting as speaker pro tempore for a short time. This is not common, so people are wondering how he can get access to intelligence information and whether or not the House can pass bills in the meantime.
Things might not stay this way for much longer, though. If most Republicans agree on one candidate, the whole House could decide on who will be the next speaker as soon as next week. To win, you only need a simple majority.
There was also a story from a press pool that the White House stated President Biden had “directed further assistance for Israel in the midst of this unprecedented terrorist attack by Hamas.”
Despite stating that Israel will be “front and center” for him as speaker, Jordan stated that he would be concentrating on spending legislation first since a possible government shutdown might occur in mid-November when the current six-week continuing resolution ends.
He said, “The next thing we need to do is deal with what’s coming up on November 17. And I’ll lay out a plan I believe we need to follow.”
