Republican Jim Jordan’s combative, in-your-face style of politics has made the former college wrestler a constant source of trouble for his party’s leadership in the United States House of Representatives for much of the last 16 years.
His party is now debating whether the hardline co-founder of the House Freedom Caucus will lead the chamber in challenging Democratic President Joe Biden and the Democratic-controlled United States Senate for the next two years.
The 58-year-old congressman from Ohio emerged on Tuesday as a possible replacement for House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, a powerful position that is second in line to the Oval Office after the vice president.
McCarthy was opposed by enough Republicans to deny him a House majority vote after vote, so a group of fellow hardliners nominated Jordan, who backed McCarthy and gave an impassioned speech in his support.
Twenty Republicans voted for Jordan, which was less than a tenth of those who voted for McCarthy, but it was enough to halt McCarthy’s progress. On Tuesday, the House recessed after three votes without providing McCarthy with the House majority he required, and adjourned until noon ET (1700 GMT) on Wednesday to try again.
Being elected speaker would be a huge step up for Jordan, who is known for not wearing suit jackets to congressional hearings and news conferences, potentially making him the successor to, and a stark contrast to, liberal predecessor Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat.
Deep cuts to domestic programs
Jordan, now in his ninth term and 17th year in the House, would almost certainly push for deep cuts to domestic programs, including popular social services, and would be a vocal opponent of abortion and LGBTQ rights, while advocating for greater parental involvement in public school education.
Jordan has raised his profile on House committees over the years, particularly during Republican Donald Trump’s presidency, but he has also faced accusations that as a wrestling coach at Ohio State University in the 1980s and 1990s, he was aware of sexual harassment on the team but did nothing to stop it.
Jordan, a high school and college wrestler before becoming a college coach, denied the allegations and thrived in Congress.
During Trump’s first impeachment, in late 2019 and early 2020, Jordan stood in front of the cameras, repeating the mantra, “There was no quid pro quo.”
He was referring to allegations made by Democrats, who controlled the House at the time, that Trump withheld US military aid to Ukraine while asking its president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, in a phone call to launch an investigation into Joe Biden’s son Hunter. The call came as the elder Biden was emerging as Trump’s likely opponent in the 2020 presidential election.
Jordan made President Barack Obama’s life difficult in 2011, with a newly installed Republican majority in the House, by demanding deep budget cuts opposed by Democrats. By insisting on the cuts, he helped lead the government to the brink of a historic default on government debt.
Jordan is a hardliner Republican
Jordan refused to listen to pleas, including those from the business community in the United States, to relent and allow for more government borrowing. The uncertainty shook global financial markets.
With Republicans regaining control of the House and the party’s far-right wing ascendant, fears of a government default later this year have resurfaced. Jordan was a key player in stymieing long-running negotiations for comprehensive immigration reform.
A bipartisan bill passed by the Senate in 2013 would have significantly increased spending on border security. However, it would have provided a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants who had been in the country for years and had committed no serious crimes.
While then-Speaker John Boehner was attempting to bring a similar bill up for a vote in the House, Jordan told Reuters at a critical juncture that it was dead. He proved to be correct, causing Boehner embarrassment.
Jordan outlined his own priorities in his speech nominating McCarthy for speaker on Tuesday.
“We have a border that no longer exists. We have a military that is unable to meet its recruitment targets. We have bad energy policy, bad education policy, record spending, record debt, and a government that has been weaponized against ‘we the people’; against the very people that we are supposed to represent “He stated.
Republican Civil War Over McCarthy May Cost Them in 2024
https://www.vornews.com/politics/republican-civil-war-over-kevin-mccarthy/
