A New York Times story Monday revealed that House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) plans to push his own policy agenda in 2016 from the House floor regardless of who the Republican nominee is.
According to the Times, Ryan will unveil his policy proposals right before the Republican Convention in Cleveland in July and he may also propose his own rival health care plan to to the Affordable Care Act if the eventual nominee of the party does not introduce one. Superseding the nominee on policy would be a way for Ryan to keep the Republican Party’s agenda on the front burner no matter the nominee selected.
The New York Times reports that Ryan will “lay out an anti-poverty plan” and “take the highly unusual step of presenting a national security agenda that may not be in step with the nominee’s.”
While Ryan has repeatedly shot down suggestions that he should fight for the nomination at a contested convention, he does appear to be more than prepared to challenge the positions of a nominee he doesn’t agree with. While reticent to engage in 2016 politics, Ryan has called out Donald Trump on multiple occasions including the time he felt Trump was not doing enough to distance himself from one-time KKK leader David Duke.
