Speaker Ryan: New Name, Same Game

Speaker Ryan is tying himself into knots trying to appease shutdown-hungry House Republicans.

On CNN this Sunday, Speaker Ryan tried to temper expectations among Republicans about using the threat of another government shutdown to push dangerous policy riders:

"I think – I think we need to be very clear about what it is we can and cannot achieve, and not set expectations that we know we can't reach, given the constraints of the Constitution."

But today, the Speaker is contradicting himself – telling the American people that he's open to forcing a government shutdown to advance the GOP's dangerous ideological agenda:

                Roll Call: Ryan Leaves Door Open to Policy Riders in Spending Bill

Speaker Paul D. Ryan, R-Wis., would not rule out the House including policy riders in an omnibus appropriations bill.

"We fully expect we're going to exercise that power," Ryan said Tuesday at his first news conference as speaker

While Ryan did not elaborate on what sort of riders would be considered in an omnibus measure, conservatives on and off the Hill are pushing to defund Planned Parenthood — a sticking point that could have led to a government shut down until the CR was passed.

So there you have it: new Speaker; same refusal to take the threat of a government shutdown off the table.