Last night at the House Republican Conference meeting, Representative Paul Ryan (R-WI-1) announced that he is willing to serve as Speaker of the House if he is the “unity candidate,” with all major GOP caucuses backing him. Reluctant at first, Ryan came to the conclusion of running because he believes the “country is in desperate need of leadership” in this “very dire moment” for Congress.
The current Ways and Means Committee chairman would like to know by Friday if the three major Republican caucuses would support him – the Republican Study Committee, the Tuesday Group, and the Freedom Caucus. If not, he is happy to continue as the chairman for the committee. Ryan was first elected into office in 1999; he is best known his work with Senator Patty Murray in drafting the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013, and as the 2012 Republican Party nominee for Vice President.
Speaker John Boehner also announced today that the internal Republican election for speaker will be October 28, and the floor election will be October 29.
Ronny Lau, Legislative Policy Advisor, Center for Advocacy, Policy, and Constituency Engagement, October 21, 2015. © National Association for Music Education (NAfME.org).
