Republicans in the House of Representatives unanimously agreed Tuesday that Paul D. Ryan should remain speaker and serve as the chief legislative partner to President-elect Donald Trump.
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The Washington Post reports that ahead of Tuesdayโs vote, Ryan told reporters, โWelcome to the dawn of a new unified Republican government.โ
The next step is for Ryan to win the floor vote in January by all 435 House members. If two dozen Republicans were to withhold their support, Ryanโs election would be in question.
According to the Post, several Republicans have indicated that although Trumpโs election may have eased tensions that could threaten Ryanโs speakership, they have not eliminated them.
Rep. Raรบl R. Labrador (R-Idaho), co-founder of the House Freedom Caucus, told the Post that he hasnโt heard Ryan speak on anything that he would like to change, and that causes Labrador to wonder what will be different in these next two years compared with the last two.
โSo far, Iโm not hearing anything about changing the way we do business here in Washington, so Iโm not ready to support him yet,โ Labrador said.
The Post reports that Labrador is among a handful of House members who said Tuesday that they would still consider opposing Ryan as speaker. Although Ryan has broad support among the GOP rank and file, there is an ongoing discomfort over how his brand of Republican politics will meld with Trumpโs.
Ryan distanced himself from his partyโs presidential nominee and instead chose to focus his own campaign on the โBetter Wayโ policy agenda he developed. Since Trumpโs election, congressional Republicans have attempted to show a united front.
Trump and Ryan met last week on Capitol Hill, and the Post reports that in a closed-door meeting Tuesday, each GOP House member was given one of Trumpโs signature red โMake America Great Againโ hats.
โWe are on the same page,โ Ryan said Tuesday, citing recent conversations with Vice President-elect Mike Pence. โWe will be working hand in glove.โ
Read more at the Washington Post.
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