Now eyes are turned to another high-profile Republican, former vice presidential candidate Ryan, who fellow lawmakers say is considering the job during a weeklong congressional recess. Analysts told the MDJ last month that Price was a strong contender to replace McCarthy as majority leader when McCarthy was the frontrunner to succeed Boehner. “But he’s got to decide”.
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“Right now, I’m just going to catch my flight so I can make it home for dinner, “Ryan said on his way out of D.C. Friday”. Issa added that he would only consider running himself if Ryan opts to pass.
A spokesman says Ryan appreciates the support he’s been getting, but he’s still not running.
Still, when asked if he personally supported Ryan, Brat said: “It’s not about personal anything, its about rules”.
But Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), chairman of the conservative Freedom Caucus, said Sunday that members would “look favorably” on Ryan for speaker, so long as he agrees to their demands for policy changes within the GOP conference. “I want it to be raised as part of a package that actually fixes the reason that we have a debt ceiling problem”.
Rep. Paul Ryan knows who he’s going as for Halloween: Mitt Romney. “And then I think he’s got to convince me and a few other folks that if he were in charge, that the place would be different”. The spot has been vacant since former speaker John Boehner resigned in September, citing Republican fracturing along ideological lines. Ryan’s entry into the race, though, would change that landscape.
Congress faces a December 11 deadline to fund federal agencies for 2016 or risk a government shutdown.
But whether someone like Paul Ryan would be willing to put a rubber stamp on what members of the Freedom Caucus want the speaker to do remains to be seen. He’s previously said the position is best suited for an “empty nester”.
Representative Raul Labrador, a member of the group who spoke to Ryan on Friday, said that if new candidates declared themselves, the caucus would listen to them.
A video is circulating around Congress of the floor speech that Ryan gave supporting creation of the Troubled Asset Relief Program, the emergency scheme that used public funds to shore up banks during the 2008 financial crisis and that is a bugaboo for many conservatives.
He has given about 20% of those funds to other Republicans to boost their campaigns, the center said.
Though Ryan has so far strong-armed the persistent pleas of his counterparts (he is said to be taking the weekend to make a final decision, according to The Washington Post) the force could be too strong.
“Now is the time for our members to come together and have an honest conversation about how we unify our Conference”, Price said.
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Also signing were Transportation Committee Chairman Bill Shuster and Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes.
