Jim Jordan pauses US House speaker quest and will back McHenry as interim

REPUBLICAN Jim Jordan backs empowering Representative Patrick McHenry as a temporary speaker until January, giving the Trump loyalist time to try to build support to win the top House leadership spot, people familiar with the matter said.

Jordan fell far short of the votes needed to become speaker in two rounds of balloting this week, and it was unclear whether a resolution to give temporary power to McHenry has enough support among other Republicans.

Florida Republican Mario Diaz-Balart said he would “support a proposal to get the conservative Republican agenda back on track.” But several other Republicans questioned the constitutionality and the wisdom behind doing that.

“Over half the Republicans in the room won’t vote for it,” Jim Banks of Indiana, who is running for a Senate seat, said. “It’s a historic mistake.”

Democrats have also been noncommittal about empowering McHenry and their votes could be needed if more than four Republicans vote against the resolution.

The speaker’s office has been vacant for more than two weeks, leaving the House paralysed. Lawmakers have been unable to address aid for Israel in its war with Hamas or consider funding measures to avoid an impending mid-November US government shutdown.

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The caretaker position was established after the Sep 11 terrorist attacks and has been largely interpreted as limited to presiding over the choice of a new speaker. McHenry was among those who’ve agreed with that interpretation. BLOOMBERG