Is Speaker Paul Ryan set to retire in 2018?
Speaker Paul Ryan is set to step down as speaker after the 2018 election, family and political colleagues have told Politico magazine.
The Irish American from Wisconsin is said to be fed up with the constant battles among Republicans in the House and desperate to spend time with his three children back home before they are too old.
Politico stated: “Ryan has made it known to some of his closest confidants that this will be his final term as speaker. In recent interviews with three dozen people who know the speaker—fellow lawmakers, congressional and administrative aides, conservative intellectuals and Republican lobbyists—not a single person believed Ryan will stay in Congress past 2018.”
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.@SpeakerRyan on tax reform: "This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity... to truly restore hope confidence and opportunity in America... We're so close to the finish line." pic.twitter.com/nzVpagbc6y
— FOX Business (@FoxBusiness) December 13, 2017
It will come as no great surprise to many. Like his predecessor, John Boehner, Ryan has faced a barrage of criticism from the right from the Freedom Caucus members who specialize in humiliating their own leadership. In addition, it is looking more and more like 2018 will be a Democratic wave election and the GOP may lose the House if not the senate, too.
The Irish American Speaker Paul Ryan can trace his Irish roots to Co. Kilkenny. Image: WikiCommons.
But with new tax laws in place and a year to try and attack alleged overspending in social programs, Ryan seems certain to call it quits. He is very conscious that his father and several male members of his family all died young from heart conditions.
Ryan traces his roots to Kilkenny and has been a reliable friend of the Irish Embassy during his time as speaker. Another Irish American, Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy from California, will be the favorite to succeed him. Politico says the succession race has already begun.
Would you be sorry to see Paul Ryan leave his position as Speaker of the House? Who would you like to see as his replacement?
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