Unifier Ryan Commits to U.S. House Speaker Run
U.S. congressman Paul Ryan told Republican colleagues Thursday he is "all in" to be the next speaker of the House, after securing the unified backing of feuding conservative and more establishment lawmakers.
Ryan's commitment, several days after announcing he was reluctantly considering taking the post, all but guarantees he will win the most powerful job in Congress when the House votes next week.
The move would likely bring an end to weeks of House leadership chaos and potentially ease a bruising internal uproar that threatens to hurt Republicans in 2016, as they seek to reclaim the White House after eight years of Democratic President Barack Obama.
"I never thought I'd be speaker," Ryan, the 2012 vice presidential nominee, said in a letter to fellow House Republicans.
"But I pledged to you that if I could be a unifying figure, then I would serve -- I would go all in.
"After talking with so many of you, and hearing your words of encouragement, I believe we are ready to move forward as a one, united team. And I am ready and eager to be our speaker," he said.
Ryan secured backing from three key Republican caucuses, most importantly the House Freedom Caucus, a collection of some 40 rebellious conservatives who helped drive current Speaker John Boehner to announce he is stepping down on October 30.
He also gained support, as expected, from the larger Republican Study Committee, and the more moderate Tuesday Group.
Boehner has set the Republican nomination vote for next Wednesday, and the full floor vote the following day.
The speaker is second in line to the presidency, after the vice president.
Ryan acknowledged severe challenges ahead, which include the need to address the debt limit by early November and to reach a budget deal by mid-December.
"It's clear to me that we're in a very serious moment," he said.
"Instead of rising to the occasion, Washington is falling short -- including the House of Representatives," he added.
"We are not solving the country's problems -- we are only adding to them."
Democrats have blasted Ryan -- who would have to give up his chairmanship of the House Ways and Means Committee, where he has overseen tax policy -- as seeking to erode American entitlement programs like Medicare and block family leave.
U.S. media reported that Ryan has also assured conservatives that as speaker he would not bring comprehensive immigration reform to the House floor for a vote.
Source: Agence France Presse
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