Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI), who will likely be elected speaker of the House this week, announced on Wednesday morning that he will support the deal to raise the debt ceiling and set a two-year budget, despite his comments on Tuesday that the process Congressional leaders used to reach the deal “stinks.”
“Once again, we are facing a hard deadline and few good options. There is no doubt that a better process would have produced a better result. If I’m elected speaker, we will begin a conversation about how to approach these big issues — as a team — long before we reach these kinds of deadlines. We simply can’t keep doing business this way,” Ryan wrote in a statement.
But Ryan said that he will determine his vote based on the “substance of the bill” and any available alternatives to the deal.
“What I’ve heard from members over the last two weeks is a desire to wipe the slate clean, put in place a process that builds trust, and start focusing on big ideas. What has been produced will go a long way toward relieving the uncertainty hanging over us, and that’s why I intend to support it,” he wrote in the statement. “It’s time for us to turn the page on the last few years and get to work on a bold agenda that we can take to the American people.”
House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) worked with Democratic and Senate leaders behind closed doors to reach an agreement to raise the debt ceiling and pass a two-year funding bill. Boehner’s decision to negotiate the deal privately roiled House conservatives. One member of the House Freedom Caucus called on all speaker candidates to oppose the budget deal.
