Claims Rep. Jim Jordan has never passed a law need context

The House of Representatives remains without a leader after the preferred candidate of the far-right wing of the Republican party, Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), failed to gain enough votes to be elected speaker.

Jordan is a polarizing member within the GOP thanks to his continued questioning of the 2020 election results, his refusal to comply with Congressional subpoenas, and his reputation as an obstructionist.

Former Speaker of the House John Boehner, a fellow Ohio Republican, once called Jordan a “legislative terrorist” for his tendencies to blow up deals.

As Jordan’s campaign for the speakership materialized, so did more specific accusations about his ineffectiveness as a lawmaker. 

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) called Jordan “a nominee who in 16 years in this Congress hasn't passed a single bill.”

THE QUESTION

Is it true that Rep. Jim Jordan has never passed a bill into law?

THE SOURCES

• Congress.gov
• Center for Effective Lawmaking

THE ANSWER

While no law has ever passed with Jordan as the primary sponsor, he has cosponsored bills that have become laws.

WHAT WE FOUND

Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2006, taking office in 2007. He’s currently serving his ninth term in office, making 2023 his 17th year in Congress.

According to the congressional database, in the nearly two decades he’s served, Jordan has been the primary sponsor on 53 pieces of legislation. None have ever become law.

Only three Jordan-sponsored items have ever even passed the House, despite the chamber being under Republican control for nine of Jordan’s 17 years. All three were resolutions, which unlike bills cannot become binding law, and are merely a formal expression of how the chamber feels about a particular issue.

The vast majority of legislation introduced by Jordan did not make it as far as a committee hearing.

However, Jordan has signed on as cosponsor to several bills that eventually became law. Cosponsorship sometimes means the member is actively involved in the proposal’s composition, but it could also simply represent a quick show of support for a proposal brought forth by another member. Some bills have hundreds of cosponsors.

During his tenure Jordan has cosponsored 1,285 pieces of legislation. Of those, 71 became law. Two additional resolutions passed both the House and Senate but were vetoed, both by President Biden.

It’s become increasingly rare for bills to become laws. Until the mid-90s, it was common for Congress to pass and for the president to sign upwards of 300 laws per year. Now, that number rarely exceeds 200.

In Jordan’s 16 full years in office, a total of 2,796 bills have become law – an average of about 175 per year. Given there are 535 members of Congress,  the odds any one member sponsors a piece of legislation that becomes law is relatively low.

For example, Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.), another proposed candidate for speaker and who was elected to the House the same year as Jordan, has had only one bill for which he was primary sponsor become law.

However, Former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), also elected the same year, has had 10 laws passed for which he was the primary sponsor.

The Center for Effective Lawmaking, a joint project of the University of Virginia and Vanderbilt University, assigns ratings to members of Congress based on how far bills they sponsor get and how substantial those bills are.

In the current Congress, only four members have a lower effectiveness score than Jordan. Six others have the same rating he does. Jordan has consistently rated near the bottom, meaning he has proposed little meaningful legislation in comparison to his colleagues, and the legislation he has proposed has had little relative success.