House Speaker Paul Ryan would not discuss on Thursday the prospect of stepping down from the speakership if the House does not pass tax reform, adding that he tries not to get distracted by GOP leadership speculation.
“When I took this job at the request of our members, I knew it would come with lots of slings and arrows,” Ryan told Fox News on Thursday. “This is not something I am worried about or focused on. I’m worried about getting our agenda passed.”
Ryan’s comments follow Rep. Jim Jordan, a leading conservative lawmaker, disputing reports there was a movement inside the Freedom Caucus to oust Ryan from the House’s top job.
The Wisconsin Republican pushed back too on talk he was furious over President Trump’s decision to agree with Democrats on a short-term increase in the debt ceiling limit, saying the president wanted a bipartisan moment as the U.S. deals with two record-breaking storms.
“I have a belief on debt issues that we should, for the credit markets, have longevity on these things, but I completely understand why he was doing what he was doing and why [sic] his motivation is,” Ryan said. “We got hurricane relief, let’s make it bipartisan, and let’s clear the decks so we can focus on our shared agenda like tax reform.”
He also dismissed chatter that Trump and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., have discussed doing away with debt limits.
“I like the fact that Congress controls the power of the purse and that gives us opportunities for fiscal discipline,” Ryan said.
Ryan admitted that the House was “frustrated too” by congressional Republicans’ failure to handle Obamacare, having passed a bill in May to repeal and replace the healthcare law.
