BALTIMORE — House Republicans said Friday they’ll have a five-point agenda in place by the time a GOP presidential nominee is chosen, and say national security is at the top of the list.
Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., said Republicans in the coming months will develop specific proposals for tackling national security issues, job growth, healthcare, welfare reform and restoring the government’s separation of powers on which they believe the Obama administration has trampled.
“I suspect we will have a complete agenda by the time we have a nominee,” said Ryan, who was elected speaker in October. “The country is crying out to be unified, for a positive vision that brings us all together.”
National security has topped voter concerns in the polls thanks to the growing threat of Islamic State terrorism and recent weapons testing in Iran and North Korea.
“Americans are very anxious right now,” Ryan said.
Republicans have already begun informal talks among members about drafting a new measure authorizing military force against the Islamic State. Congress has so far refused to take up an authorizing measure from Obama that they say would weaken the president’s power to combat the terrorist group.
Republicans picked the five issues following the annual GOP retreat in Baltimore that took place as Republican presidential candidates duked it out at a debate in South Carolina.
Ryan said he didn’t watch the debate and had no interest in mulling over whether Canadian-born Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, qualifies as a presidential candidate, which Donald Trump has disputed.
“We are not sitting here thinking about who is going to be the nominee,” Ryan said. “We don’t have time for that.”
The GOP retreat was held jointly with the Senate. But Ryan announced the five-point plan without any Senate Republican GOP leaders by his side.
Senate leaders have not committed to building an agenda, and have instead said they would focus this year on passing all 12 appropriations bills, which has not been accomplished since 1994.
Ryan said the legislative proposals for the agenda would be developed through the House committees and not by the GOP leadership. That move abandons the GOP’s top-down leadership style that alienated many conservative lawmakers and upholds a Ryan pledge that he plans to govern the House more inclusively.
“We are going to do this together with our members,” Ryan said.
Ryan said he didn’t know whether the House would take up actual legislation for each proposal or simply issue a formal plan. But he suggested it wouldn’t make a difference whether the House votes on the proposals this year, when it is all but certain they would be vetoed by President Obama.
“The people of this country will know who we are and what we stand for when we’re done, and they will be given a choice in 2016,” Ryan said. “When they go to the polls, they will know what they are voting for.”
