CNNs Manu is reporting that:
- Jim Jordan said he will go to the House floor and force a vote tomorrow at noon even if he doesn’t have the 217 votes initially
- He added that tomorrow the House will elect a speaker.
Previously he had said that he would go to the floor once he had the 217 votes locked down.
Jordan can only afford to lose four Republican votes on the House floor since a Speaker needs a majority. However, last week, 55 Republicans voted against supporting Jordan within the GOP conference, and roughly 40 “no” votes are still expected.
Some senior Republicans have stated they are ready to block Jordan’s path to the floor in a potential roll-call vote on Tuesday. Despite this, Jordan believes he can secure enough support to be elected Speaker. He won a key endorsement from House Armed Services Chairman Mike Rogers.
If Jordan doesn’t garner enough support, the legislative paralysis would continue. Meanwhile, Senate Democrats are moving ahead with plans, emphasizing their ability to work in a bipartisan manner compared to the House’s dysfunction.
In the midst of this, there have been discussions about alternative ways to move the House forward, such as potentially expanding the powers of interim Speaker Patrick McHenry or forming a bipartisan governing coalition. However, the path forward remains uncertain in the divided GOP conference.