House Republicans voted Friday in a secret ballot against keeping Rep. Jim Jordan as their nominee for speaker, and they planned to determine a new nominee next week.
The Ohio congressman had been facing resistance in his bid to become speaker, with the number of fellow Republicans voting against him rising to 25 in a third round of voting Friday on the House floor, up from 22 in a prior ballot.
House GOP lawmakers were expected to meet Monday evening for a new forum for speaker candidates. Rep. Kevin Hern of Oklahoma said in a post on X that he was running for the job, and Rep. Jack Bergman of Michigan has indicated he’ll seek the post as well.
The GOP opposition to Jordan stemmed from a range of concerns, including that his speakership could lead to cuts in defense
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spending, as well as the view that he didn’t provide enough support for the speaker bid of House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, a Louisiana Republican. Jordan’s Republican opponents also said they’ve faced death threats for their stance, with Rep. Drew Ferguson of Georgia saying Thursday that the House GOP “does not need a bully as the Speaker.”
Analysts have been warning that the process of picking a new speaker is preventing the Republican-run House from addressing crucial matters, such as supporting Israel and passing a budget to avoid a government shutdown next month that could rattle markets. It has been 17 days since the historic ouster of former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, a California Republican.
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And see: Biden seeks $14 billion for Israel, $61 billion for Ukraine in request to Congress
With the House looking rudderless for more than two weeks, the chamber’s temporary speaker, GOP Rep. Patrick McHenry of North Carolina, has faced calls to take on the job more permanently. But a measure that would have McHenry serve in the post until January stalled on Thursday afternoon due to objections from a number of Republicans, even as Jordan offered his support for it.
U.S. stocks
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were losing ground Friday, as rising bond yields
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and geopolitical tensions continue to take a toll.
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