Fmr Speaker: Republicans Will Find It Hard To Pass Legislation on their Own
Ryan also praises Pelosi's career
Republicans will find it “almost impossible” to pass legislation next year with the tiny majority they'll have in the US House of Representatives, according to most recent previous GOP speaker.
Republicans have picked up enough seats in the November midterm elections to take control of the House in January, but they will do so probably by one of the most razor-thin margins in modern history.
(The exact margin is not yet known as a handful of close races are yet to be called.)
But such a tight majority will prove unwieldy, according to former Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis).
“No matter what bill you're going to bring to the floor, it is almost impossible with that tight of a majority to have just only your party passing legislation,” Ryan said in a televised interview. “When I was speaker, we had better majorities, bigger majorities. We could pass bills on our own. But if you have such a narrow majority, it's going to be really hard.
“Having said that, there's nothing as unifying as a really razor-thin majority. That is a unifying thing in and of itself. I've been in the House where we've had pretty tight majorities,” added Ryan, who also served as Republican Mitt Romney's vice presidential running mate in 2012.
Ryan also paid tribute to outgoing Democratic Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
“It's an impressive legacy. I mean, obviously, she and I usually disagree on things, but first woman speaker, a career to be proud of. And, frankly, I think about her husband, Paul, a lot these days,” Ryan added, referring to the nearly deadly attack Paul Pelosi suffered in the couple's San Francisco, Calif home. “I just feel so awful about what happened to them. She has an incredible legacy and career to look back on.”
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