House Speaker Paul Ryan on Thursday outlined “a complete alternative to the left’s agenda” that he believes will help the party capture the White House in 2016, and includes a new effort next year to “repeal and replace Obamacare,” which he said is the GOP’s most urgent task.
Ryan said the House will take up “major legislation” in 2016 that addresses taxes, welfare reform, job creation, health care, the military and other proposals that typically are reserved for non-election years.
He outlined the GOP plan in the ornate Library of Congress, in what his staff billed as a major policy address.
Ryan was catapulted to speaker only a month ago in a leadership shakeup, and is quickly becoming a top messenger for the party as it copes with increasingly divided ranks.
But he didn’t talk about internal discord that has plagued the House GOP in recent years. Instead, Ryan promoted his plan to send bills to President Obama’s desk, saying the effort will help give voters a clear choice in 2016.
“Even if the president disagrees,” Ryan said. “Even if he won’t sign them into law, we will put out specific proposals and give the people a real choice. I mean show what we would do, what our ideal policy would be, looking forward to 2017 and beyond.”
Republicans have fought Obamacare for years now, but has mostly tackled repeal efforts instead of reforming it. But Ryan said the House would move to repeal Obamacare and replace it with another kind of reform, such as tax credits that help people to buy health insurance.
Ryan delivered the speech as the Senate prepared to pass a bill repealing most of the health care law. Obama is expected to veto the legislation, which will then die because Republicans lack a supermajority to override it.
That’s where Republican ideas come in, Ryan said.
“If we want to save the country, then we need a mandate from the people,” Ryan said. “And if we want a mandate, then we need to offer ideas. And if we want to offer ideas, then we need to actually have ideas.”
On jobs and the economy, Ryan said the GOP would take up a “pro-growth” agenda that would feature tax reform that lowers the tax rate and simplifies the loophole-ridden tax code.
Tax reform has long been a Ryan priority, one that he promoted as chairman of both the House Budget and Ways and Means Committees.
“The only way to fix our broken tax code is to simplify, simplify, simplify,” Ryan said. “Close all those loopholes and use that money to cut tax rates for everybody. Take the seven tax rates we have now and collapse them to two or three.”
Ryan also promoted welfare reform. The current programs, Ryan said, “are trapping people in poverty.”
Ryan said he’d like to combine some of the dozens of welfare programs, “and send that money back to the states for better poverty-fighting solutions.”
Ryan also declared a need to “reform the Pentagon,” which has been hurt by budget cuts and stretched thin by wars and terrorist threats.
“We need to build a 21st century military,” Ryan said, “And I don’t mean just pour more money into the Pentagon. We have to reform the Pentagon, so it can adapt to new threats.”
