Republican Jim Jordan failed to get the needed votes to become speaker of the United States House of Representatives on Tuesday as 20 partymates joined all Democrats in rejecting him.

Jordan said he will try again to win the position in a second voting on Wednesday as the Judiciary Committee chairman endorsed by by scandal-engulfed former president Donald Trump woos the 20 Republicans who did not vote for him.

"We need to get a speaker as soon as possible," Jordan told reporters before a second round of voting was scheduled for 11 a.m. on Wednesday.

"I think Jim Jordan will be a great speaker," Trump said outside a courthouse in New York as he attended his civil trial for fraud.

"I think he's going to have the votes soon, if not today over the next day or two."

The lower chamber of the US Congress has been paralyzed for 15 days following Speaker Kevin McCarthy's ouster by conservatives for passing a stop-gap budget bill with help from Democrats to avert a government shutdown.

The situation leaves the legislature unable to pass a full-year funding for the government and aid for Israel and Ukraine.

House Republicans have a razor-thin majority, meaning that Jordan will likely be able to lose four colleagues at most in each round of voting, with Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries poised to receive the full Democratic endorsement every time.

Whoever gets the job will be under immediate pressure to lead support for Israel in its war with Hamas, renew US aid for Ukraine's fight against the Russian invasion and extend the US budget or face a damaging government shutdown next month.