Uniting behind a new Speaker

Crisis after crisis plagues our country—and we have an administration that seems hellbent on destroying it and our way of life. As the Party of Lincoln and Reagan, we are independent thinkers, which has recently played out on television screens across the country. However, House Republicans agree on much more than disagree, and it is those areas of agreement where we must unite around a new Speaker of the House. 

The way I see it, we have six goals: win back the White House, unite the Republican Party, secure the border, seriously address our debt crisis, set a clear end goal in Ukraine, and bring back fiscal sanity to the appropriations process. 

The Republican Party is the party of solutions—it’s time to act like it. As President Reagan said, “The person who agrees with you 80 percent of the time is a friend and an ally, not a 20 percent traitor.” We owe it to our constituents to fight for conservative policies in Washington, not fight against each other. A House divided cannot stand.

Inflation is the highest in decades, violent cartels run the border, rural communities are seeing hospitals close at record-rates, and children are being exposed to obscene materials at school. This cannot continue, and it’s why we need a conservative living in 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

Further, with our border completely overrun, our national security is at risk—and President Biden doesn’t seem to care. This fiscal year, 151 individuals whose names appear on the terrorist watchlist were stopped trying to cross the U.S.-Mexico border between ports of entry. This number doesn’t even include the gotaways, those illegal migrants who purposely evade detection.

Additionally, we must get spending under control. Bloated appropriation bills strap our children and grandchildren with unsustainable debt. We must have a candid conversation about our national debt, and we must hone the appropriations process. Families can’t afford to keep spending an extra $700 monthly in inflation. 

However, none of this is achieved if we don’t have a clear picture of the end game in Ukraine. America cannot continue to send blank checks to Ukraine—and House Republicans must be the backstop. The White House, the Senate and House Democrats made no such promise. That’s why we must stand tall and bring commonsense solutions to the table without sacrificing our economic stability, our national security, or our ability to resupply our military.

It’s imperative that the Republican Party unite behind a new Speaker who can lead us to accomplish these goals. With a slim majority in the House, we need a leader that all 221 Republican members can unite behind. As the only bulwark in Washington against Democrat rule, House Republicans are the check on the far left’s radical agenda. Our new Speaker must stand strong against President Biden’s plunder of American taxpayers. With less than two years left of the president’s term, our new Speaker must put their foot down when Biden attempts to shove his extreme policies down our throats. However, it’s going to take more than courage and political strength to hold the gavel in this divided Congress. We need a task-oriented leader that will get the Grand Old Party back on track.

We cannot afford to waste any time. Without a doubt, the best person for this daunting challenge is my friend and mentor, Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio). I’ve worked closely with Jim throughout my time in Congress—to cut taxes during the Trump administration, to hold the bureaucracy accountable under President Biden, and most recently, on H.R. 2, the strongest border security legislation to pass the House. I’ve seen Jim up close: He has stayed true to his convictions and remained loyal to the Constitution. He’s a proven leader, he’s battle-tested, and is a man of deep integrity. 

Congress has a job to do. We need a Speaker who is up for the challenge. That man is Jim Jordan.

Mark Green is a physician and combat veteran of Afghanistan and Iraq, where he served three tours. He interviewed Saddam Hussein for six hours on the night of his capture. He is chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee and serves on the Foreign Affairs Committee.