October 17, 2023

Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan, a pro-insurrection Republican, could become our next House Speaker despite his complete and utter ineffectiveness at passing legislation in Congress. Jordan, the man accused of staying silent over sexual abuse allegations from students during his time as a coach, once sponsored a bill for 'Denouncing the horrors of socialism.' That bill was solely for performance politics.

Still, he has failed to pass any legislation during his 16 years in office. He appears to be only effective in carrying out Donald Trump's requests.

So, how is he flipping no votes for his most hardened critics? Jordan claims that he would prioritize expedient passage of the farm bill despite having failed to do so previously. He has never supported the farm bill -- until now.

E&E News reports:

It's a promise that helped flip some of Jordan's most hardened critics ahead of Tuesday's showdown on the House floor, where all members will vote on whether Jordan, chair of the House Judiciary Committee, will replace Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), who was ousted from the job two weeks ago.

"We agreed on the need for Congress to pass … important legislation like the farm bill," said Armed Services Chair Mike Rogers (R-Ala.) in a post on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, on Monday after pledging days earlier to oppose Jordan.

"Jim Jordan and I have talked about how important it is for us to get work … done," including on the farm bill, added Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.), the co-chair of the center-right House GOP Main Street Caucus.

The fight over the farm bill has been entangled in a dispute over whether to raid climate funds from the Inflation Reduction Act. Republicans want to use the money to pay for some non-climate-related provisions, something Democrats are deeply against.

That fight could play a big role in how the farm bill gets shaped and could be complicated by Jordan's history. In the 15 years he has represented his largely rural district in central Ohio, he has not once voted for a farm bill.

"Jim Jordan has never voted for a farm bill," said Scott Faber, senior vice president for government affairs at the Environmental Working Group, "and I certainly don't expect him to start now."

That's a swampy move from Jordan since he's been called out for years for his lack of support for the farm bill.

And he was called out again recently by Christopher Gibbs, a former GOP chair turned Shelby County Democratic chair.

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