Republicans in the US House of Representatives have abandoned a plan to overcome the impasse in the House of Congress that has lasted for more than two weeks with the help of the acting president. Instead, Rep. Jim Jordan announced yesterday, after a party meeting that lasted several hours, that he would run for election for a third time.
A date for this was not initially provided. Several US media outlets have reported that Pro Tem President Patrick McHenry’s powers should be expanded so that Congress as a whole can return to functioning. Rep. Byron Donalds told CNN there weren’t enough votes for that. Citing the US Constitution, he explained that you cannot simply “put new powers in someone’s lap.”
Power struggle blocks Congress
Republicans hold only a comparatively small majority in the House of Representatives and are therefore dependent on the votes of a group of ultra-conservative representatives. They ousted the previous Speaker of the House of Representatives, Kevin McCarthy, on October 3rd. Since then, no path to agreement on a new speaker has been apparent.
Jordan already lost two votes, McCarthy ended up needing 15 votes in January. The internal power struggle means that Congress cannot approve any new funds for the war in Ukraine or the Gaza conflict. Democratic President Joe Biden is expected to ask Congress later this week for billions more in aid for Israel and Ukraine.