Greg welcomes guests Terry Schappert, Tracy Quan, and Richard Grenell.
Paul Ryan Increasing Power in House
On Friday, it was reported that Rep. Paul Ryan and Sen. Patty Murray were "just a few billion" dollars apart on a 2-year budget deal. The two Budget Committee chairs are expected to work through the weekend to finalize a deal that is expected to replace some of the sequester cuts and, possibly, raise government revenue. Even if a budget deal passes Congress, it would be up to the appropriations committees to enact the deal. Still, the closeness of a deal represents a significant shift from the past few years, when Congress failed to pass even a budget framework. It also represents Ryan's growing power in the House.
The House Republican caucus gives Rep. Ryan considerable sway over all budget matters. For the past several years, almost unilaterally, he has crafted the caucus's policies on spending and entitlements. Unusually, Ryan also holds a seat on the powerful Ways and Means Committee, which sets tax and entitlement policy. House Republicans even gave Ryan a waiver on committee chair term limits so he could continue to run the Budget Committee. No other chair was given such a waiver.
To a certain extent, this isn't surprising. Ryan has long been considered a policy wonk on fiscal matters. He has a detailed understanding of the America's long-term budget challenges and understands the trade-offs necessary for a viable solution. Ryan, however, is emerging as a leader on issues outside fiscal issues.
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