Paul Ryan possible presidential campaign, 2016
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 Paul Ryan |
Current U.S. Representative (1999-Present) |
January 12, 2015 |
 Possible Republicans: |
2028 • 2024 • 2020 • 2016 |
This page was current as of the 2016 election.
- See also: Paul Ryan
Paul Ryan was considered a potential candidate for President of the United States in 2016. Ryan is a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from the state of Wisconsin. He represents Wisconsin's 1st Congressional District and was first elected to the House in 1998.[1] Ryan campaigned for vice president on the Republican ticket with Mitt Romney in 2012.[2]
On January 12, 2015, he announced that he would not seek the presidency and would instead focus on his new position as chairman of the House Ways and Means committee.[3] Only one president, James Garfield, was elected to office as a sitting House member.[4]
On the issues
Economic and fiscal
Taxes
| "Paul Ryan on Taxes with MSNBC's Chris Matthews," July 26, 2010. |
- Paul Ryan is considered to be "the Republican Party's leading voice on taxes and budgets," according to David Lawder of Reuters.[5]
- In 2001, Ryan voted for HR 1836 - the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001.[6] Ryan also voted for HR 2 - the Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003.[7] Collectively, these are known as the Bush tax cuts.
Government regulations
- Many of Paul Ryan's opinions on regulation are outlined in the "Path to Prosperity" proposal. The budget proposal is critical of the Dodd-Frank Act. According to the report, "Although the bill is dubbed 'Wall Street Reform,' it actually intensifies the problem of too-big-to-fail by giving large, interconnected financial institutions advantages that small firms will not enjoy."[9]
- In 2012, Ryan voted in favor of HR 6684 - the Spending Reduction Act of 2012. The bill reduced federal spending on a number of assistance, research and retirement programs.[10]
- In 2011, Ryan co-sponsored HR 2898 - the Regulation Moratorium and Jobs Preservation Act of 2011, which proposed prohibiting "any federal agency from taking any significant regulatory action until the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports a monthly unemployment rate equal to or less than 7.7 percent."[11]
International trade
- In 2000, Paul Ryan voted in favor of HR 434 - the Trade and Development Act of 2000, which authorized "the President to designate a sub-Saharan African country as a beneficiary country eligible to receive duty-free treatment, through September 30, 2008, for any non-import-sensitive article that is the growth, product, or manufacture of such country."[12]
- In 2008, Ryan voted for HR 1830, which extended "the duty-free treatment or other preferential treatment for Bolivia, Ecuador, Colombia and Peru" by extending the Andean Trade Preference Act.[13]
Budgets
- Paul Ryan was chairman of the House Budget Committee from 2011 to 2014.
- In 2011, Ryan introduced HConRes 34 - "Establishing the budget for the United States Government for fiscal year 2012 and setting forth appropriate budgetary levels for fiscal years 2013 through 2021," known popularly as the Ryan Budget Bill. It passed the House on April 15, 2011.[14]
- The "Path to Prosperity" budget proposal created by Ryan and the House Budget Committee in 2012 supported limiting spending. According to the report, "Restoring spending discipline in Washington is a necessary precondition for economic growth and job creation."[9]
- In May 2008, Ryan introduced HR 6110 - the Roadmap for America's Future Act of 2008. He proposed a balanced budget by changing "the Congressional Budget Act to make it out of order for the House or Senate to consider any legislation that would cause: (1) an excess spending amount; or (2) aggregate federal revenue levels exceeding a specified percentage of revenue relative to the Gross Domestic Product, unless so determined by a vote of at least three-fifths of the Members voting, a quorum being present."[15]
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Agricultural subsidies
- Paul Ryan's 2012 budget resolution proposed reforming "the open-ended nature of the government's support for crop insurance" and claimed that such reforms would "save taxpayers roughly $30 billion over the next decade."[9]
Federal assistance programs
- In July 2014, Paul Ryan released a discussion draft for a proposal targeting entitlement reform called "Opportunity Grant." Ryan proposed consolidating "up to eleven federal programs into one stream of funding to participating states. The idea would be to let states try different ways of providing aid and then to test the results—in short, more flexibility in exchange for more accountability. My thinking is, get rid of these bureaucratic formulas. Put the emphasis on results. ...Each state that wanted to participate would submit a plan to the federal government. That plan would lay out in detail the state’s proposed alternative. If everything passed muster, the federal government would give the green light. And the state would get more flexibility; it would get to combine into one stream of funding up to eleven different programs—things like food stamps, housing assistance, child care, cash welfare. This new, simpler stream of funding would become the Opportunity Grant, and it would be budget neutral. The state would get the same amount of money as under current law—not a penny less."[16]
- Ryan introduced HR 6610 - the Roadmap for America's Future Act of 2008. The bill outlined changes to entitlement spending and focused on Medicare and Social Security.[17]
Foreign affairs
Military preparedness and budget
- In 2011, Paul Ryan voted for S 365 - the Budget Control Act of 2011, which provided for budget sequestrations, including defense spending sequestration.[18]
- Ryan argued that issues of foreign policy are connected to the national budget. In a 2011 speech, he said, "If there's one thing I could say with complete confidence about American foreign policy, it is this: Our fiscal policy and our foreign policy are on a collision course; and if we fail to put our budget on a sustainable path, then we are choosing decline as a world power."[19]
- In 2008, Ryan voted for HR 1 - the Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007, which provided for specific military preparedness in regards to terror threats.[20]
National security
| "Vice Presidential Debate - Opening V.P. Debate on Benghazi Terrorist Attack," October 11, 2012. |
- In 2014, Paul Ryan publicly supported President Barack Obama when he ordered airstrikes against ISIS.[21]
- In June 2014, Ryan stated that the U.S. military should stay in Afghanistan until the military has achieved its objectives. He said, "No country can lean on us forever. But the Afghan people are trying to stand on their own. And we should help them to their feet."[22]
- During the 2012 vice presidential debate, Ryan was critical of the Obama administration's handling of the 2012 attack in Benghazi.[23]
- In 2001, Ryan supported SJRes 23, which authorized military activity in Afghanistan following the September 11 terrorist attacks.[24]
- In 2002, Ryan voted for HJRes 114 - the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002, which authorized military force in Iraq.[25]
International relations
- In June 2014, Paul Ryan said, "We need to make it very clear that the NATO pledge to common defense is not some paper promise, it is an iron-clad commitment."[26]
Domestic
Federalism
First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
- In 2007, Paul Ryan voted for HR 2102 - the Free Flow of Information Act of 2007, which proposed prohibiting "a federal entity (an entity or employee of the judicial or executive branch or an administrative agency of the federal government), in any matter arising under federal law, from compelling a covered person to testify or produce any document" with a few exceptions.[27]
- In 2005, Ryan cosponsored HR 2389 - the Pledge Protection Act of 2005, which sought to "deny jurisdiction to any federal court, and appellate jurisdiction to the Supreme Court, to hear or decide any question pertaining to the interpretation of the Pledge of Allegiance or its validity under the Constitution."[28]
Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
- In 2012, Paul Ryan publicly stated his support for federal concealed-carry reciprocity legislation, which proposed allowing a person with a permit to carry a concealed firearm in one state to carry a firearm in every other state.[29]
- In 2004, Ryan voted for HR 1036 - the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, which proposed prohibiting "any qualified civil liability action from being brought in any State or Federal court." The bill proposed protecting firearms manufacturers from lawsuits in cases regarding the criminal misuse of a firearm.[30]
Executive powers
- In 2014, Paul Ryan voted in favor of HR 4138 - the ENFORCE the Law Act of 2014, which authorized either chamber of Congress "to bring a civil action for a declaratory judgment" on the president if the president failed to "faithfully execute the laws of the United States."[31]
Crime and Justice
| American Enterprise Institute, "Paul Ryan: Expanding opportunity in America," July 24, 2014. |
- In Paul Ryan's 2014 presentation, "Expanding Opportunity in America," Ryan proposed reforming the criminal justice system. He specifically proposed giving judges more flexibility in sentencing low-risk, non-violent offenders. He said, "Here’s the point: Non-violent, low-risk offenders—don’t lock them up and throw away the key. Get them in counseling; get them in job training; help them rejoin and contribute to our society."[32]
Natural resources
Energy development
- In 2013, Paul Ryan voted in favor of H.R.1582 - the Energy Consumers Relief Act of 2013, a bill that required the EPA to prepare cost/benefit analyses, a price increase estimate and a description of employment effects "before promulgating a final rule that regulates any aspect of the production, supply, distribution, or use of energy (or that provides for such regulation by state or local governments)" that would cost more than $1 billion.[33]
- Ryan's 2012 "Path to Prosperity" budget criticized the Obama administration's energy policies, citing "punitive regulations on economically competitive sources of energy, coupled with reckless spending on uncompetitive alternatives."[9]
- In 2008, Ryan voted against HR 6899 - the Comprehensive American Energy Security and Consumer Protection Act, which proposed restricting any "oil and gas preleasing or leasing of any area of the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) that was not available for oil and gas leasing as of July 1, 2008, unless that action is expressly authorized by this Act or a statute enacted by Congress after enactment of this Act."[34]
- In 2007, Ryan voted against HR 2776 - the Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation Tax Act of 2007, which proposed tax incentives "for the production of electricity from renewable resources (e.g., wind, closed and open-loop biomass, geothermal energy, small irrigation power, municipal solid waste, and qualified hydropower)."[35]
Climate change
- In 2009, Paul Ryan voted against HR 2454 - the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009, which sought to establish a cap and trade policy for energy.[36]
Keystone XL Pipeline
- The 2012 "Path to Prosperity" proposal spearheaded by Paul Ryan characterized the Keystone XL Pipeline as a "common-sense job creator" that would "lower energy prices for Americans."[9]
Endangered Species
- In 2009, Paul Ryan voted against S 22 - the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009, a bill that sought to expand federally protected lands and waters.[37]
Healthcare
- The 2012 "Path to Prosperity" budget proposal spearheaded by Paul Ryan called for a full repeal of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, also known as "Obamacare". The proposal stated: "Congress must repeal the President's disastrous new law, diminish the power of unelected bureaucrats over personal health care decisions, and restore that power to individuals and families by advancing reforms that allow robust choice and competition in health care."[9]
- The proposal also included changes to Medicare. The proposal stated: "workers currently under the age of 55, beginning in 2023, those seniors would be given a choice of private plans competing alongside the traditional fee-for-service option on a newly created Medicare Exchange. Medicare would provide a premium-support payment either to pay for or offset the premium of the plan chosen by the senior."[9]
Immigration
- In 2010, Paul Ryan voted against the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act of 2010, or DREAM Act of 2010. The act authorized "the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) to cancel the removal of, and adjust to conditional nonimmigrant status" of certain aliens under the age of 30.[38]
- In 2006, Ryan voted in favor of HR 6061 - the Secure Fence Act of 2006, which gave the Secretary of Homeland Security the ability to provide "physical infrastructure enhancements to prevent unlawful border entry and facilitate border access by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, such as additional checkpoints, all weather access roads, and vehicle barriers."[39]
- In 2005, Ryan co-sponsored HR 884 - the Agricultural Job Opportunities, Benefits, and Security Act of 2005, which proposed providing pathways to legal immigration by giving "qualifying alien agricultural workers (and their spouses and minor children) temporary resident status and subsequently lawful permanent resident status upon the fulfillment of specified agricultural work and residency requirements."[40]
Education
- As of April 2015, Paul Ryan supported making education a more local issue. On his website, Ryan championed "returning the power to make education-related decisions to state and local governments, families, and students, who oftentimes know what is best for our nation’s children, rather than distant federal bureaucrats."[41]
- In a 2014 interview with Hugh Hewitt, Ryan explained his opposition to Common Core Standards. He said, "I don’t support Common Core. I think it leads to federalizing curriculum, which I think is a very dangerous trend to put ourselves on."[42]
Abortion
| "Election 2012, VP Debate: Biden and Ryan Discuss Abortion Views, The New York Times," October 11, 2012. |
- In a 2010 interview with John McCormack of The Weekly Standard, Paul Ryan explained his position on abortion. He said, "I’m as pro-life as a person gets. You’re not going to have a truce. Judges are going to come up. Issues come up, they’re unavoidable, and I’m never going to not vote pro-life."[43]
- In 2006, Ryan voted for S 403 - the Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act, which "Amends the federal criminal code to prohibit transporting a minor child across a state line to obtain an abortion (deems such transporting to be a de facto abridgment of the right of a parent under any law in the minor’s state of residence that requires parental involvement in the minor’s abortion decision). Makes an exception for an abortion necessary to safe the life of the minor."[44]
- In 2003, Ryan voted for S 3 - the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003, which prohibited "any physician or other individual from knowingly performing a partial-birth abortion, except when necessary to save the life of a mother whose life is endangered by a physical disorder, illness, or injury."[45]
Gay rights
| "Paul Ryan on Civil Rights at Town Hall Meeting, 2013." |
- In 2013, Paul Ryan changed his stance on same-sex adoption, showing support for the issue at a Wisconsin town hall meeting. He said, "I do believe that if there are children who are orphans who do not have a loving person or couple ... I think if a person wants to love and raise a child, they ought to be able to do that. Period. I would vote that way."[46]
- In 2006, Ryan voted for HJRes 88 - the Marriage Protection Amendment, which proposed declaring "that: (1) marriage in the United States shall consist only of the union of a man and a woman; and (2) neither the U.S. Constitution nor the constitution of any state shall be construed to require that marriage or the legal incidents of marriage be conferred upon any other union."[47]
- Speaking on his decision to vote for the amendment, Ryan said, "I believe that marriage should remain between a man and a woman, and I have heard from many of the people I represent who are concerned about activist judges abusing their power and rewriting our society’s definition of marriage. I had hoped that this amendment wouldn’t be necessary, but increasingly it appears that laws such as the Defense of Marriage Act will not be sufficient to protect marriage from certain courts that distort state and federal constitutional law."[48]
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term Paul + Ryan + 2016
See also
Footnotes
- ↑ Clerk.House.gov, "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 3, 1998," accessed May 3, 2015
- ↑ New York Daily News, "Election 2016: A look at possible candidates and who could run in the next presidential race," August 17, 2013
- ↑ The Wall Street Journal, "Rep. Paul Ryan Rules Out 2016 Presidential Candidacy," January 12, 2015
- ↑ U.S. House of Representatives, Office of the Clerk, "House members who became president or presidential candidates," accessed November 7, 2013
- ↑ Business Insider, "Paul Ryan: 'Tax reform is a 2015 thing for sure,'" February 14, 2015
- ↑ U.S. Congress, "H.R.1836 - Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001," accessed April 24, 2015
- ↑ U.S. Congress, "H.R.2 - Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003," accessed April 24, 2015
- ↑ U.S. Congress, "H.R.8 - American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012," accessed April 24, 2015
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 9.6 U.S. House of Representatives Committee on the Budget, "The Path to Prosperity: A Blueprint for American Renewal," accessed April 24, 2015
- ↑ Congress.gov, "H.R.6684 - Spending Reduction Act of 2012," accessed April 24, 2015
- ↑ Congress.gov, "H.R.2898 - Regulation Moratorium and Jobs Preservation Act of 2011," accessed April 24, 2015
- ↑ U.S. Congress, "H.R.434 - Trade and Development Act of 2000," accessed April 24, 2015
- ↑ Congress.gov, "H.R.1830 - To extend the authorities of the Andean Trade Preference Act until February 29, 2008," accessed April 24, 2015
- ↑ Congress.gov, "H.Con.Res.34 - Establishing the budget for the United States Government for fiscal year 2012 and setting forth appropriate budgetary levels for fiscal years 2013 through 2021," accessed April 24, 2015
- ↑ Congress.gov, "H.R.6110 - Roadmap for America's Future Act of 2008," accessed April 24, 2015
- ↑ House.gov, "Speeches and Statements," accessed December 11, 2014
- ↑ Congress.gov, "H.R.6110 - Roadmap for America's Future Act of 2008," August 6, 2012
- ↑ Congress.gov, "S.365 - Budget Control Act of 2011," accessed April 27, 2015
- ↑ CNN, "Ryan's foreign policy views shaped by his budget battles," accessed April 27, 2015
- ↑ Congress.gov, "H.R.1 - Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007," accessed April 27, 2015
- ↑ Madison.com, "First Ron Johnson, now Paul Ryan supports Obama on ISIS," September 29, 2014
- ↑ Wall Street Journal, "Paul Ryan Preaches Tough Restraint on World Stage," June 10, 2014
- ↑ The Guardian, “Benghazi attack: the key exchanges from the vice-presidential debate," October 12, 2012
- ↑ Congress.gov, "S.J.Res.23 - Authorization for Use of Military Force," accessed April 27, 2015
- ↑ Congress.gov, "H.J.Res.114 - Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002," accessed April 27, 2015
- ↑ Defense News, "Ryan: NATO Needs More Permanent Presence in Eastern Europe," accessed April 27, 2015
- ↑ Congress.gov, "H.R.2102 - Free Flow of Information Act of 2007," accessed April 27, 2015
- ↑ Congress.gov, "H.R.2389 - Pledge Protection Act of 2005," accessed April 27, 2015
- ↑ Business Week, “Paul Ryan and the Gun Control Factor," August 13, 2012
- ↑ Congress.gov, “H.R.1036 - Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act," accessed April 27, 2015
- ↑ Congress.gov, "H.R.4138 - ENFORCE the Law Act of 2014," accessed April 27, 2015
- ↑ House.gov, "Speeches and Statements," accessed December 11, 2014
- ↑ Congress.gov, "H.R.1582 - Energy Consumers Relief Act of 2013," accessed April 27, 2015
- ↑ Congress.gov, "H.R.6899 - Comprehensive American Energy Security and Consumer Protection Act," accessed April 27, 2015
- ↑ Congress.gov, "H.R.2776 - Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation Tax Act of 2007," accessed April 27, 2015
- ↑ U.S. Congress, "H.R.2454 - American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009," accessed April 27, 2015
- ↑ Congress.gov, "S.22 - Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009," accessed April 27, 2015
- ↑ Congress.gov, "H.R.5281 - Removal Clarification Act of 2010," accessed February 2, 2015
- ↑ Congress.gov, "H.R.6061 - Secure Fence Act of 2006," accessed April 27, 2015
- ↑ Congress.gov, "H.R.884 - Agricultural Job Opportunities, Benefits, and Security Act of 2005," accessed April 27, 2015
- ↑ U.S. Congressman Paul Ryan, "Education," accessed April 28, 2015
- ↑ Hugh Hewitt, "Audio and Transcript: Paul Ryan On 'The Way Forward: Renewing the American Idea,'" August 25, 2014
- ↑ Weekly Standard, "Paul Ryan Rules Out 2012 Presidential Run, Talks Up Mitch Daniels," July 19, 2010
- ↑ Congress.gov, "S.403 - Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act," accessed April 28, 2015
- ↑ Congress.gov, "S.3 - Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003," accessed April 28, 2015
- ↑ USA Today, "Rep. Paul Ryan now supports gay adoption," accessed April 28, 2015
- ↑ Congress.gov, "H.J.Res.88 - Marriage Protection Amendment," accessed April 28, 2015
- ↑ House.gov, "Ryan Votes for Marriage Protection Amendment," accessed April 28, 2015
