Politico: Paul Ryan's House of Woes
In the six months he’s been in charge, Speaker Paul Ryan has struggled with deep divisions among his Members, preventing the House from being able to accomplish much of anything. The GOP conference is as divided and dysfunctional as ever and has failed to address any of the critical issues facing America, such as passing a budget, addressing public health emergencies like Zika, Flint, and opioid addiction, and providing Puerto Rico with relief. Politico said it best this morning:
“Paul Ryan has had a tough couple of months. The House GOP’s response to Puerto Rico’s debt crisis is stuck, with a big May 1 deadline looming. The leadership’s 2017 budget plan is stalled. And legislation to overhaul the Federal Aviation Administration hasn’t left the runway.”
“Almost six months into the job, Ryan and his top lieutenants face questions about whether the Wisconsin Republican’s tenure atop the House is any more effective that his predecessor, former Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio). Ryan has flattered the House Freedom Caucus and pursued promises to empower rank-and-file Republicans with reforms to how the House operates — yet it’s yielded little in the way of actual results.”
“A House bill to address the Puerto Rico crisis is bogged down in committee after some Republicans cried ‘bailout,’ despite Ryan’s insistence the measure is no such thing. The GOP-drafted budget has been stalled for weeks because of objections from conservatives still upset over last year’s spending deal with President Barack Obama and Democrats. That’s led to a delay taking up the dozen annual appropriations bills until mid-May.”
“Like Boehner, Ryan is finding out that becoming speaker is easier than being speaker, at least in the still badly divided House GOP Conference.”
“Indeed, 2016, which always figured to be light on legislative accomplishments, is proving to be a virtual wasteland on the House side.”
It’s time for Speaker Ryan to stop trying to appease his most extreme Members – which is clearly going nowhere – and work with Democrats to address the issues most critical to the nation.