Paul Ryan’s Pathetic Retirement Announcement Proves He Failed As Speaker

Paul Ryan was able to list exactly one legislative accomplishment as Speaker of the House, which proves how big of a failure he really has been.

Video of Ryan:

Speaker Ryan said, “When I took this job, one of my conditions was that we aim high. That we do big things. That we fashion an agenda, that we run on that agenda, that we win an election and that we execute that agenda. I’m so proud that that is exactly what we have done and what we are doing right now. We’ve accomplished so much since then. Probably the two biggest achievements for me, first, the major reform of our tax code for the first time in 36 years. Which has already been a huge success for this country and that’s something I’ve been working on my entire adult life. Second, something I got much, much more invested on since becoming speaker is to rebuild our nation’s military. And after tax reform addressing our military readiness crisis, that was a top priority that we got done last month as well. These last victories that will make this country more prosperous and more secure for decades to come. There are so many other things that we have gotten done, and of course, I’m going to look back proudly on my days at the budget committee and ways and means committee.”

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Ryan’s announcement was Trump-like in that he tried to inflate one accomplishment into something gigantic. Ryan’s tax cuts for the wealthy could end up being one of the main reasons why along with his efforts to gut health care, Republicans lose the House in November. Republicans have their biggest House majority since 1928, and all Ryan has been able to pass is a tax cut bill that will be undone by the next Democratic president and Congress.

Paul Ryan’s legacy as Speaker is one of failure, and his retirement announcement was an indictment of his party’s inability to govern.

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Jason Easley

Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.

Awards and  Professional Memberships

Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association