Jim Jordan won’t insist on rule change that prompted McCarthy’s abrupt ouster: Firebrand chairman signals he’s against Ukraine aid until the border is secure

Firebrand Rep. Jim Jordan said he won’t push for a rule change that proved a death blow to Kevin McCarthy and stifled a push for more aid to Ukraine as he sets himself up as speaker for the House Republican Party.

The Judiciary Committee chairman cast himself as the candidate who could unite the right-wing Freedom Caucus and the conference’s moderates.

“The eight people who voted that we disagreed with, we need to bring back into the fold,” Jordan said, referring to the eight Republicans who voted in favor of the motion to remove McCarthy from office.

He suggested he would not get involved in the debate over the rule and would let the Republican conference make a decision.

“We have to figure that out as a conference, as Republicans. If I’m the speaker, I’m not going to the Democrats to make a change because they want some kind of agreement on other issues. I think you should arrange that with your party.’

McCarthy was abruptly removed from the speakership Monday after Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., over a rule he agreed to in January: a single-member motion to leave.

Under this rule, only one member can force a privileged resolution to the House of Representatives.

McCarthy had originally tabled a five-member motion, but hardliners demanded one in exchange for giving him the gavel.

Jordan also suggested that he would not quickly submit an aid package for Ukraine to the House of Representatives.

“Why would we send American taxpayer money to Ukraine if we don’t even know what the purpose is? No one can tell me what the goal is,” Jordan mused on Fox News Thursday morning.

McCarthy was perhaps the best hope for Ukraine advocates in the House of Representatives: the former speaker never outright opposed aid to Ukraine, even as he called for more oversight.

Jordan voted against the $300 million for training Ukrainian troops passed by the House of Representatives last week.

Jordan said his first focus as leader would be border security.

“The very first thing I would focus on: No money should be used to process released migrants into this country,” he told Fox.

Jordan is running against Majority Leader Steve Scalise, and each has a dozen early endorsements in the race.

Jordan is running against Majority Leader Steve Scalise and has about 10 early endorsements each in the race

Fellow Ohio Republican Rep. Mike Carey has made appeals to the party’s moderates on Jordan’s behalf. Jordan is known to push Donald Trump’s talking points on Capitol Hill and is not known for his ability to work with Democrats.

Jordan told NBC News he had a “great conversation” with Trump about the speaker’s race.

A number of moderates have urged that the next speaker of the House of Representatives force a change in Republican Conference rules to abolish one member’s motion to leave Parliament.

Right-wing Rep. Lauren Boebert, Colo., indicated at X that she would be willing to drop the rule if Jordan were the speaker.

“The House still has a lot of work to do, let’s get this over with and take back our country!” she wrote.

Scalise has been in leadership for years and knows how it works. He is also seen as more conservative than McCarthy, but more centrist than Jordan.

But Scalise voted for the $300 million for Ukraine and for the emergency law that could prevent a government shutdown and defeated the motion to leave the country.

On Saturday, McCarthy laid a continuing resolution (CR) on the floor of the House of Representatives – a bill that will fund the government at fiscal year 2023 levels until November 17. individual appropriations bills with deep cuts.