Report Card: Speaker Ryan's First 6 Months
It's been six months, Speaker Ryan. Time for the training wheels to come off! Here's a brief list of the promises you've made to the American people since taking the gavel:
- PASSING A BUDGET:"We're doing a budget early this year."
- PROTECTING AMERICANS' SECURITY: "Americans are anxious about their security, and the government's ability to keep us safe. We will advance ideas to secure our homeland…"
- RELEASING AN ACA REPLACEMENT PLAN: "…we are going to unveil a plan to replace every word of Obamacare."
- REFORMING THE TAX CODE: "Speaker of the House Paul Ryan announced he will make tax reform…a priority in the upcoming year."
- ENDING THE DYSFUNCTION OF THE HOUSE GOP: "I can't pick up where John (Boehner) left off. It has to be done differently."
And here's how Speaker Ryan has followed through on those promises:
BUDGET: House Republicans blew past the April 15 statutory deadline to pass a budget. Even though Republican Leaders proposed the most devastating "Road to Ruin" budget in history, it wasn't severe enough to satisfy the radical forces that have seized control of the Republican Congress.
SECURITY: House Republicans have gone 67 days without acting on the Presidents urgent request for resources to fight the Zika virus. We've learned more and more about the danger Zika presents to expectant mothers, but Republicans continue to block the emergency resources so urgently needed to protect American communities.
ACA REPLACEMENT: House Republicans have already admitted that they won't produce an actual bill to replace the Affordable Care Act. Speaker Ryan's supposed big idea to replace the ACA has been derided as an "old idea that doesn't work."
TAX REFORM: Speaker Ryan has made no progress on producing a tax reform plan that grows the economy or encourages job creation.
GOP DYSFUNCTION: As CNN said, Speaker Ryan is "still beset by the same internal divisions that led to Boehner's ouster…his party struggles to push through a number of bills on pressing matters…"
After half a year on the job, Speaker Ryan hasn't fulfilled a single one of his big promises to change the way House Republicans do business:
AP: Big promises, thin agenda for Ryan-led House
Roll Call: Crises Mount, House Still Won't Act
POLITICO: Paul Ryan's House of woes
FOX: New year, new speaker – but same budget mess on Capitol Hill
AP: GOP House under Speaker Ryan set to blow budget deadline
TPM: Blown Budget Deadline Shows Ryan's Got A Boehner-Sized Problem
AP: House Republicans miss budget deadline amid caucus divisions
MSNBC: Paul Ryan's halo starts to lose its luster
Los Angeles Times: The honeymoon may be over for House Speaker Paul Ryan
Huffington Post: Paul Ryan's Big Plan To Replace Obamacare Is An Old Idea That Doesn't Work
New Republic: Paul Ryan Is Making John Boehner Look Like a Legislative Genius
That's not a progress report that is going to impress the American people. Speaker Ryan: after six months of failed leadership and broken promises, it's long past time for you to do your job for hard-working families across the country.