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U.S. House remains without a speaker, farm bill delay continues

The US House will attempt to elect a speaker on Wednesday after Ohio Congressman Jim Jordan failed on the first ballot.

American Soybean Association CEO Steve Censky says without a speaker, the House remains paralyzed and any legislative work, including work on the farm bill, is stalled. “The Republican Conference has been struggling in the House,” he says.  “And it’s been very divisive and you’ve had a group of ultra-conservatives that have been slowing the process.”

He tells Brownfield the ag appropriations bill, recently considered by the House is another example.  “And you had a good number of farm-state Republicans that voted against the bill,” he says.  “Because it was cutting so deep to try to appease the ultra-conservatives that even Republican Ag Committee members said, ‘I can’t support this’.”

Jordan received 200 votes but would need 217 to obtain speakership.  Twenty Republicans voted against Jordan.  Republican leadership announced there would be no further votes Tuesday evening and the House is expected to reconvene at 11 a.m. Wednesday to vote.