The House Freedom Caucus, a bloc of Tea Party members that typically votes together to advance conservative causes, has signaled its surrender and has backed Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan for the Speaker of the House position.
The news was greeted warmly by the Obama administration, which immediately raised some eyebrows among GOP hardliners.
“The president believes that Congressman Ryan is someone who has given considerable thought to the significant issues that must be worked through in Congress,” White House Deputy Press Secretary Eric Schultz, spokesman for the Obama administration, said Thursday.
On their way to becoming Ryan’s kingmaker, the Freedom Caucus anti-establishment conservatives backed down from their calls for a more hardline speaker and gave in to more moderate Republicans.
Two-thirds of the caucus’ roughly 40 lawmakers backed Ryan’s bid for speaker, risking a backlash from tea party groups and talk show commentators who usually cheer them on.
“House Republicans who support Paul Ryan are entering a toxic primary environment” for their own re-elections next year, conservative commentator Richard Viguerie warned Thursday on his website.
Ryan formally declared his candidacy for the job in a letter to his GOP colleagues late Thursday, saying, “We have an opportunity to turn the page, to start with a clean slate, and to rebuild what has been lost.”
He seems certain to win his party’s nomination for the job next Wednesday and be elected by the full House the following day.
As the Freedom Caucus internally debated whether to back Ryan, some were concerned about Ryan having his own demands, such as curbing members from suddenly forcing votes to depose speakers.
The group derives its strength from arithmetic.
Though they’ve never released an official membership list, the caucus claims around 40 members. With 247 House Republicans, a united Freedom Caucus can keep GOP support for a bill on the House floor to around 207 votes — short of the 218 needed for a majority in the chamber.
Freedom Caucus members’ fury helped them push Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, to his abrupt resignation and prompted Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., to not seek Boehner’s job.
They couldn’t achieve the same with soon-to-be Speaker Paul Ryan.
The Associated Press contributed to this article
I guess the Tea Party is no different than the Rino’s.
We now have the Tea Party putting on their knee pads and he isn’t even in office yet.
so what els will happen, the RNC and news media will have Rubio high in the polls. Carson is just bing used to make you think His Beating Trump. Rubio will put Americans on the streets.
Will Rubio put into law NO hiring of Americans? after all his money is coming from those that Support AMnetty, and those that will train them to take over your jobs.
I’s been done before.
LET ME TELL YOU HOW IT WORKS:
Companies hire the immigrants, the now Amnesty squatters as well,
Companies hire them pay them minimum wage and never have to give them a raise because your tax dollars will pay them as well.
They get their Minimum Wage, lets say $5.00 and our Government kicks in $3 to $5 or $10 depending on the job.
So they don’t get Minimum Wage they are getting top pay at the start of their employment and also get Free Training while getting High paying jobs and are paid high wages as well.
This has been happening, a company can fire you and many employees have been fired and replaced with just such people, Americans that are working are paying almost half of their wages. The tax code may be changed but hight taxes will have to go along with the Amnesty program in order to pay their wages.
If you thing you have been enslaved to them and their children before you’ve seen nothing because this program will take over this country. That’s why the Big money people get richer and you get poorer.
They all Want Amnesty because you tax Dollars will bay their wages and they company Never has to give them a Raise,
A lot of this goes on in Nevada, that’s why they have so many immigrants working their. They get cheap labor but not cheap to the Tax payers.
My boss was contacted for just such a program and told us about it. she did go to the owner and because she was FRIENDS if you know what i mean didn’t go along with the program. other wise we were going to be fired in order to hire them. those companies also get Hugh Tax Breaks for hiring them as well.
This is a FACT,
if the’re going to put that idiot obama cronie as speaker they should have just kept the one they had he was bad but this ones worse …I guess we’ll just have to change rep’ congress and sen. to someone with balls that’s why I’m fr trump 2016
Being for Trump in 2016 has NOTHING WHATSOEVER to do with who is Speaker of the House or Senate Majority Leader. Get a clue, brew.
Me too! I’ve just about had it with the Republicans and though Donald Trump is running on the Republican ticket, he is quite different from the current establishment. He may not be as “polished” as some but he definitely speaks his mind. If he gets elected we’ll know exactly what he’s going to do as he’ll TELL US instead waiting for us to find out online (as in Obama’s veto to the Bipartisan defense bill sent to him to sign).
this is the trouble with republicans they have no guts and won’t stand up can you imagine the democrats bowing down. This is why I say there is no use wasting you time voting for republicans they say they stand for something but when push comes to shove they are all abunch of yellow bellies. Sick of the republican party and I’ve been one all of my life and that is a long time. Not so sure any more at least is you vote for a democrat you know you are getting a liar and don’t have to wonder. There is no wonder Trump and Carson are leading in the polls. If we got another Bush we would be just as bad off as we are now. Phil
The Tea Party caucus went rogue or GOP. Ryan will be John B. revisited. The political game in D.C. is rigged. Labels mean nothing. Obama is thrilled because Ryan will not only reach across the aisle but jump on the Obama Bandwagon.
They learned how to FOLD many years ago…I guess learning how to HOLD had a very short history….Maybe we don’t need a third party, but it sure would be nice to have a second one.
19 TRILLION DEBT!! Amnesty and open illegal immigration platform? Hell no to RINO RYAN!
Wow what a failure by the Tea Party and that surely is disappointing. Even though I am a member of the Tea Party, they had a chance to make sure we get a new Speaker that will literally stand up to Obama and his antics. But by the reception the Obama administration game Ryan’s candidacy we already know this will not be the right man for the job. Ryan seems to be turning out to be just another RINO if not worse. Do we have anyone with the Guts and determination to save our democracy from allowing Obama to continue to push his Socialistic agenda on our country or is every thing going down the drain in this country.
America suffers grossly from poor leadership and when we do have one that finally steps up like Donald Trump, all of the so called conservatives in America say they are scared of him and don’t like his attitude. I worry we are just becoming lambs to the slaughter in this country.
Happy to have you on our lamb bandwagon, Billy.
time for a BB Bat to the back of the head. Louie Gohmert or Allen West!
It just makes me sick. With Trump and Carson running strong and and Boehner bailing out I was beginning to believe The U.S was coming back. Now the Tea Party is ready to give the Congress back to the Rino’s and give the speaker even more power to dictate. Why are they doing that??? How did the Rino’s get control of the Tea Party. Rino’s are misnamed. Their really Democrats who re-registered and infiltrated the Republican party.
I am sick of the Republicans they have no guts or backbone.We need to start a new party, one that have guts to stand up to these yellow bellies.