What to Know in Washington: Trump Endorses Jordan for Speaker

Donald Trump endorsed Rep. Jim Jordan as the next House Speaker, giving the nine-term congressman from Ohio the former president’s coveted stamp of approval going into next week’s leadership elections. His backing is likely to shore up support among conservative House members, giving Jordan the clearest shot at the post second in line to the presidency.

“Congressman Jim Jordan has been a STAR long before making his very successful journey to Washington, D.C., representing Ohio’s 4th Congressional District,” Trump said on his social media platform last night. “He will be a GREAT Speaker of the House, & has my Complete & Total Endorsement!”

Meanwhile, Trump is considering a visit to Capitol Hill Tuesday to meet with House Republicans as they prepare for the speaker election, Stephanie Lai reports.

Photographer: SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images

Donald Trump shakes hands with Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) in 2019.

A Jordan speakership would have far-reaching implications for the chamber’s legislative work as well as the presidential race. Jordan, now chair of the House Judiciary Committee, is a key ally, loyally defending Trump during Democratic investigations before leading Republican investigations into the Biden administration.

Jordan opposed the ouster of former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) this week, but announced his candidacy for speaker. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.), who was McCarthy’s No. 2, is the only other other Republican who has formally announced his candidacy.

Both candidates are to the right of McCarthy, but Jordan is viewed as the more conservative of the two. He voted against the stopgap spending bill last week that kept the government from shutting down while Scalise voted for it. Jordan’s election as speaker would portend a difficult road ahead for Ukraine aid and a spending package to avoid the Nov. 17 shutdown deadline. It would also ensure aggressive investigations into President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden, going into the 2024 presidential election. Gregory Korte and Billy House have the full story.

BIDEN’S AGENDA

• The president will delivers remarks on the September Jobs Report and National Manufacturing Day around 11:30 a.m.

CONGRESS’ SCHEDULE

• The House and Senate are out.

Also Happening on the Hill

THE SENATE COMMERCE, SCIENCE, AND TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE continues to argue over pilot training, stalling the legislation needed to reauthorize the FAA. The dispute centers on an amendment that would permit airline pilots to fly more of their required 1,500 first officer training hours outside a cockpit, which supporters say is needed to address a pilot shortage.

• Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.) and Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.) are pushing hard for the amendment to create a two-month simulator and classroom training program for pilots in exchange for a 250-hour credit.
• Critics, including Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), who is a pilot herself, argue the current rules are needed to ensure safety. Read more.

Defense and Foreign Affairs

THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION is weighing whether to use a grant program to send more military aid to Ukraine, Politico reports. Options under consideration include using foreign military financing or requesting that Congress redirect funding from elsewhere in the Pentagon budget. Read more.

• Senior administration officials and cabinet secretaries will meet with Singapore Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong during an Oct. 5-15 trip to the U.S. Read more.
• The administration is also set to resume flights deporting migrants who enter the U.S. illegally back to Venezuela, after officials in Caracas agreed to begin accepting their citizens, senior administration officials said. Read more.

People, Power, and Politics

Photographer: Paul Marotta/Getty Images

Cornel West speaks at a 2019 award ceremony.

CORNEL WEST, the Ivy League academic mounting a progressive challenge to Biden, has dropped plans to campaign under the Green Party banner and is instead running as an independent candidate, officially filing with the FEC yesterday to change his party affiliation.

• West’s decision comes as third-party candidates jockey to mount a credible alternative to Biden and Trump.
• Centrist group No Labels is securing a place on state ballots for an as-yet-undecided “unity ticket” that could run a Republican and a Democrat for president and vice president. Read more.

REP. GEORGE SANTOS’ campaign treasurer pleaded guilty to charges that she conspired with the New York congressman to fraudulently obtain financial support for his campaign.

• Nancy Marks admitted that she worked with Santos to submit false reports to the FEC on behalf of his campaign.
• While Santos has pleaded not guilty, last month prosecutors said he and his lawyer were in plea talks and discussing “possible paths forward.” Read more.

MICHAEL COHEN says TRUMP has voluntarily dismissed a lawsuit in the Southern District of Miami against him. Read more.

What Else We’re Watching

Business Groups Seek Changes to Environmental Permitting Rule

Industry groups have flooded the White House with complaints about its proposed changes to the nation’s environmental permitting rules, spotlighting provisions that could be litigated or rolled back by a future Republican administration should their concerns go unaddressed.

SEC Seeks to Force Musk Testimony on Twitter Stock Purchases

The SEC is seeking to force Elon Musk to testify as it investigates the billionaire’s purchases of Twitter shares ahead of his takeover of the social media platform.

Biden Administration Backs Strong Rules to Close Digital Divide

The Biden administration urged the FCC to adopt strong rules to redress historic shortfalls that have left some communities lacking adequate broadband service.

To contact the reporter on this story: Kayla Sharpe at ksharpe@bloombergindustry.com

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Brandon Lee at blee@bgov.com; Jeannie Baumann at jbaumann@bloombergindustry.com