Washington in limbo as House marks 15th day without speaker
Oct 20, 2023
Washington [US], October 20: US lawmakers rejected hardline conservative Jim Jordan's bid for speaker of the House of Representatives for a second time on Wednesday, as the leadership vacuum paralyzed Washington for a 15th day with no clear resolution in sight. The lower chamber of Congress has been in a tailspin since Republican speaker Kevin McCarthy was ousted by his party's far right on October 3 - leaving it unable to address a looming government shutdown or war in the Middle East. Jordan, an acolyte of scandal-engulfed Donald Trump, could only afford to lose four Republican votes, but 22 of his colleagues rejected his candidacy in the second ballot - two more than were against him a day earlier.