Watch Paul Ryan Fold Like A Cheap Suit
By: Meredith Kelly
Speaker Ryan made returning to “regular order” when it came to the budget kind of a big deal …
Nov. 19, 2015: “This week, we also made significant progress in our efforts to return to regular order. . . the people we serve—demand more.” [Speaker Ryan press conference, 11/19/15]
Dec. 15, 2015: “I want to do things differently… we call it ‘regular order’ around here.” [FOX News, 12/15/15]
Dec. 19, 2015: “I hate omnibus bills and I don’t like doing these last-second bills. … do it the right way, individual bills, all 12 bills, open up the process…do it the way the Founders intended in the first place. . . . Now that we’re done with 2015, we’ll see it when we get back right away. In January, we are going back to regular order.” [Bill Bennett interview, 12/22/15]
Dec. 20, 2015: “Getting this appropriations process back on track.” [Meet the Press, 12/20/15]
Jan. 17, 2016: “Twelve separate appropriation bills, regular order…so that’s what 2016 is going to be about.” [Fox News Sunday interview, 1/17/16]
Feb. 3, 2016: “…making sure that we get our appropriations bill done… around here that’s pretty important.”[On the Record with Greta Van Susteren interview, 2/3/16]
Feb 11, 2016: “I feel very strongly about budgeting. I feel very strongly about getting a real working appropriations process so that we can reclaim the power of the purse. My views are very well known on this.” [Speaker Ryan press conference, 2/11/16]
Then the all-powerful House Freedom Caucus said no:
Headline: Huffington Post: “Conservatives Bash GOP Budget, Put Document In Doubt.” [Huffington Post, 2/2/16]
Freedom Caucus Member Tim Huelskamp: Budget Is “In Trouble.” “‘Can I support the Boehner budget?’ HFC member Tim Huelskamp asked Monday. ‘Absolutely not! We just kicked him out as speaker.’ Huelskamp repeated a common line Monday night — that the budget is ‘in trouble’ — and he said GOP leadership already didn’t have many votes to spare.” [Huffington Post, 2/2/16]
Freedom Caucus Member John Fleming: “There May Not Be A Budget.” “Other members of the Freedom Caucus struck a harder line. . . . ‘Unfortunately,’ predicted John Fleming of Louisiana, ‘There may not be a budget.’” [Bloomberg, 2/3/16]
So Speaker Ryan folded…
“‘It would be a shame, but the sky won’t fall if we don’t do a budget,” Ryan, a former Budget Committee chairman, said during the closed-door meeting.” [The Hill, 2/12/16]
“But lawmakers need to act, Ryan said. He asked whether Republicans were willing to give up on the appropriations process and a potential chance at entitlement reform over a relatively small funding increase. The speaker told lawmakers that not passing a budget and scrapping the appropriations process would likely lead to a catch-all omnibus spending bill in the fall – a highly unpopular scenario for House Republicans.” [Politico, 2/12/16]