It’s official. After months of rumors Ohio Representative Jim Jordan sent a letter to his Republican colleagues today announcing his intention to run for Speaker of the House in the 116th Congress, should Republicans hold the majority after November’s elections, of course. Jordan says, “I plan to run for Speaker of the House to bring real change to Congress.”
Jordan, a conservative and TEA Party favorite, would be an excellent choice for Speaker. In his letter he says that he wants “to change the way this place operates,” and calls “for a complete shakeup of the process for selecting committee chairs.” He stresses that “the American people want [Congress] to follow through with our promises.”
Here is the full letter Jordan sent out to his fellow members today-
Dear Republican Colleague:
In November 2016, voters resoundingly rejected the status quo in Washington by electing an out-of-the-box Republican to drain the swamp and change how this town works.
So far, President Trump has made them proud. Our economy is growing and our country is safer. Though he often makes waves, the President is proving his critics wrong through bold, decisive action.
At the same time, many believe that our congressional majorities have let them down. Beyond tax relief and regulatory reform, the American people want us to follow through with our promises.
And though they may not talk about it as much, they also want us to change how Congress works. They want an end to “governing by crisis.” They want to strengthen the voices of their elected representatives. They want us to stop caving so quickly to the likes of Pelosi and Schumer and start doing what we said we would do.
If you’re like me, you believe in reform. You take your job seriously, and you’re tired of the games you have to play in this town to get your voice heard.
You may feel differently, but I believe we have given the American people reason to question our commitment to reform.
When Senator Schumer shut down the government because he wanted amnesty for illegal immigrants and then reopened it just days later, we were poised to win the omnibus spending debate, By holding firm, we could have broken the pattern of giving the Left a dollar to fund big government for every dollar spent funding the troops.
We didn’t even have that debate, though. We simply forfeited and did what the swamp always does; We gave more money to everything.
If we couldn’t harness the discipline to do the right thing on non-defense discretionary spending, how will we ever find the courage to do the right thing on fixing Medicare, Social Security, and other entitlements?
We have an opportunity right now to renew our commitment and demonstrate to our fellow Americans that we are serious! Tell them we can do better- and we will do better.
I encourage you to test some of these ideas with your constituents in August:
- Actually repealing Obamacare.
- Passing across-the-board welfare reform that requires able-bodied adults to work in order to get benefits.
- Building a border security wall and reforming our broken immigration system, making it fairer for highly skilled people who want to come here legally.
- Making the 2017 tax cuts permanent to spur economic growth.
- Ending taxpayer funding for Planned Parenthood.
- Enacting meaningful, immediate spending cuts to ensure that we never see $1 trillion deficits.
If we were to do just those basic things between now and November, voters would be inspired to give us a chance to run this place again.
When we come back from August recess, let’s also talk about how to change the way this place operates. Not the same old talk: Let’s really do it this time.
The House will work a lot better when power is decentralized- when committee assignments are made on talent, merit, and experience.
And, with nine new committee chairs to be decided next year, it’s time for a complete shakeup of the process for selecting committee chairs. Rank-and-file members know who has the skills to get the best policies enacted and conduct rigorous oversight.
For us to have a chance to make these changes, though, we must keep control of the House. I am committed to doing everything I can to help make that happen. That goal must be everyone’s top priority.
After that, we can focus on filling the vacancy resulting from Speaker Ryan’s retirement from Congress.
At that time, I plan to run for Speaker of the House to bring real change to Congress.
Should the American people entrust us with the majority again in the 116th Congress, our clear mandate will be to continue working with President Trump to keep the promises we made, to stand up for the rule of law and the Constitution, and to put the interests of the people before those of the swamp. I want to help keep us on this track and shape bold, visionary policy that will improve the lives of the people we have the honor to represent. · ,
President Trump has taken bold action on behalf of the American people. Congress has not held up its end of the deal, but we can change that.
It’s time to do what we said.
Sincerely,
Jim Jordan
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