More than two weeks have passed since former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, a Republican, was ousted by his own party members. The conflict between Israel and Palestine has also entered its second week, yet the U.S. House of Representatives remains without a successor to McCarthy.
Without a Speaker, the House cannot pass any legislation, including President Biden's announced aid to Israel and Ukraine.
On October 18, hundreds of protesters from U.S. anti-war Jewish groups gathered outside the Capitol, calling for an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. Approximately 400 protesters stormed the Capitol Rotunda, chanting "Immediate Ceasefire" and "Let Gaza Live." Police subsequently arrested nearly 300 individuals.
On the same day as the protest, the House held its second round of voting for the Speaker position. Far-right representative and House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, backed by former President Trump, failed again, largely due to opposition from within his own party.
Currently, Republicans hold the majority in the House with 221 seats, while Democrats have 212. In Wednesday's vote, Jordan secured only 199 votes, with as many as 22 Republicans not supporting him. To become Speaker, Jordan needed 217 votes. All 212 Democratic votes went to their candidate, House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries.
Jordan, despite facing consecutive internal opposition, has no plans to withdraw. After Wednesday's vote, he announced his intention to continue negotiations with fellow Republicans and "keep pushing."
Before Jordan, House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, a traditional conservative Republican, had received the nomination for Speaker. However, due to internal opposition, he later announced his withdrawal from the race.
Jordan is a controversial figure. After Wednesday's vote, several Republican House members reported receiving threats from Jordan's supporters for not backing him. Don Bacon, a representative from Nebraska, said his wife received a threatening message warning that Bacon would "never hold public office again" if he didn't support Jordan.
Marianne Miller-Meeks, a representative from Iowa, initially supported Jordan in the first round of voting but switched her vote in the second round. She reported receiving "death threats" and multiple intimidating calls.
Jordan immediately denied any association with the threats and condemned all forms of intimidation against members of Congress on social media platforms.
Jordan is a representative of the far-right faction within the House Republicans and is a co-founder of the hardline conservative "Freedom Caucus."
The "Freedom Caucus" emerged from the Tea Party movement of 2010. The caucus, made up of conservative Republican members, strongly opposes the establishment, advocating for tax cuts and significant reductions in government spending.
The ongoing stalemate in the House has led some Republicans to consider granting interim Speaker and House Financial Services Committee Chairman Patrick McHenry more authority, allowing him to exercise some of the Speaker's powers and enable the House to vote on urgent issues like U.S. aid to Israel.
McHenry, an ally of McCarthy, was involved in debt ceiling and temporary spending bill negotiations with Democrats. So far, McHenry has shown no interest in seeking more power and had previously declined to run for Speaker.
On Thursday, the House will hold its third round of voting for the Speaker position. Earlier this year, McCarthy was only elected Speaker after 15 rounds of voting.
The U.S. temporary spending bill is set to expire on November 17. If Jordan, representing the far-right faction, becomes Speaker, the budgetary battle between Republicans and Democrats for the new fiscal year will intensify, pushing the federal government to the brink of another shutdown.
