Only in Washington, D.C., our country’s largest swamp, is it a foreign idea to ask for Congress to keep its promises. Yet, that’s exactly what conservative Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, did yesterday when announcing his platform for his bid for speaker of the U.S. House. And it made waves in the D.C. Establishment.
We teach our children that when they give their word, they need to follow through, but Congress is somehow exempt? Republicans in Congress ran on a conservative platform. They told voters that they would fight to cut spending, repeal Obamacare, defund Planned Parenthood, fund a wall, and help secure our border. But as soon as they were re-elected, they went back to their old ways and legislated as liberals, pushing our country further into debt and failing to keep their word.
In fact, they just didn’t simply fail to keep their word, in some cases Republicans actually did the opposite of what they said they would do. Just two months ago, House Republicans, under the leadership of Reps. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., and Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., passed the biggest omnibus spending bill our nation has ever seen — bigger than any spending bill under former President Barack Obama and Democratic leadership.
President Trump has worked hard to get America working again. He’s fought for tax cuts, dismantled burdensome regulations, is negotiating peace deals with North Korea, and is fighting Washington’s bureaucracy daily to grow the economy. But where are the leaders in Congress? They are on the sidelines, making it extremely difficult for Trump to implement his agenda, and in some cases, working to undermine it. This is unacceptable.
Congress needs Jordan for speaker of the House. Frankly, they needed him years ago. President Trump said it best himself when at a closed-door Republican conference meeting, he turned to Jordan and said, “He’s a warrior for me!” Jordan is a warrior and he will not quit until the job is done. He is one of the few people in Washington who has the courage to take on the Democrats and their liberal policies. And what’s more, Jordan has the courage and the track record to take on his own party when Republicans have acted more like big-spending liberals.
Jordan has a stellar record of fighting for conservative policies that promote growth and increase freedom for hard-working Americans. He has a 98 percent rating on Conservative Review’s Liberty Scorecard — one of the highest in Congress — and the grassroots have noticed.
At Senate Conservatives Action we recently polled our members and with over 11,000 votes cast, a whopping 92 percent said they wanted Jordan as speaker. From the current Republican leadership, McCarthy only received 2.6 percent.
Contrary to what he might say, McCarthy is not a conservative. He has supported budget-busting spending bills, massive increases in debt, and taxpayer funding for Obamacare, amnesty, and Planned Parenthood. If congressional members were to help him become speaker, he would only provide more of the same old tired approach of giving in to the Democrats and failing to lead.
It’s time for Congress to wake up before the Republican leadership loses us the U.S. House. We need true leadership that will keep promises and work to enact conservative policies instead of going home for a month-long recess. We need Jim Jordan as speaker, and the grassroots agree.
Ken Cuccinelli II (@KenCuccinelli) is president of Senate Conservatives Action and the former attorney general of Virginia.
