House Speaker Paul Ryan (R–Wis.) calmed the nerves of some doomsday predictors on Wednesday and seemed confident that a government shut-down would “most definitely” be averted by Friday’s looming deadline.
A vote that came through the House Rules Committee just before midnight on Tuesday seemed to affirm Ryan’s prediction, as negotiations between Democratic and Republican House leaders resulted in a last-minute amendment to a water resources bill that would provide additional funding for Flint, Michigan. Now that this legislative snag has been cleared – a snag that began due to disputes over how assistance would be provided to those affected by high levels of lead in Flint’s water – the Senate can move forward with its spending bill, which must be passed by Friday or else the government will once again shut down.
Speaking at the Economic Club of Washington, DC, Ryan seemed lighthearted, almost casual in his affirmations that such a shut-down would be avoided.
“It will most definitely be funded,” Ryan said, adding that the United States “will also pay off all of our debts, for that matter,” which was a direct response to claims made by Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, who said that, if elected, he may consider refinancing or disputing portions of the national debt.
“No, no,” Ryan said. “We will pay our debt – these things honestly aren’t worrisome.”
This Wednesday gathering at the Economic Club of DC revealed a unique moment of calm for the Speaker, who seemed relaxed in the aftermath of weeks-long tenuous budget talks in Congress.
Expounding upon the looming deadline for the government shut-down, Ryan outlined his plan to usher in a new form of systems for Congress – a fix to a problem that, as he said, “has been driving me absolutely crazy.”
“As Budget chair, we wanted to do a regular order system,” Ryan said. “Individual bills to address specific problems – you just have better government that way.”
Ryan went on to note his disapproval with the operating procedure under Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid, calling it a system that “can only work successfully when one party controls both the House and the Senate, but can’t endure under times of divided government like we typically have.”
“I know that sounds partisan,” Ryan said, “but when it takes sixty votes just to bring up a bill for consideration, and there are partisan incentives to prevent that from happening, that breaks this system down and you’ve seen that occur over and over again.”
The nearly hour-long talk at the Economic Club also saw Ryan musing on his love of mountain climbing, his pension for sleeping on a cot in his office, exercising in the same gym as President Obama, and his daughter’s recent election as class vice president.
“So not at least one person in our family got elected as vice president,” Ryan quipped.
He also delved into more meaty topics like regulatory reform, condensing America’s seven tax brackets down to three, and the need for “a better way for this country, where instead of squabbling over small-ball tactics, our gaze can raise to a horizon that we’re all shooting for.”
As for whether or not Ryan has presidential aspirations, he skillfully diverted, claiming only that, “You never know what the future holds.”
Evan Smith is a Staff Writer for Opportunity Lives. You can follow him on Twitter @Evansmithreport.
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