Its the second most powerful political position in the nation, and so far, it’s not clear that anyone wants it. Speaker of the House John Boehner is stepping down. The odds-on favorite to succeed him declined and House Republicans seem locked in intractable conflict with their own conservative Freedom Caucus, and the people’s business, like passing a budget, is on hold. Republican Representative Leonard Lance spoke with NJTV News Anchor Mary Alice Williams in the NJTV Agnes Varis Studio about the Speakership.
The primary question many have is that whoever is elected to Speaker of the House, will they be able to mediate partisan disagreements and get something done? Lance supports Paul Ryan, a Representative from Wisconsin, who in 2012 was the Republican Vice Presidential candidate. What makes him a good candidate? “He’s worked on the Capital Hill as a staffer. He has been in Congress for quite sometime. He has chaired the budget committee, which is important, and he’s now the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee,” Lance said.
A conservative choice, Lance maintains that he will be able to work with Democrats. “He’s worked with Pat Murray in the Senate regarding budget documents,” Lance said. “So I think based on his working across the aisle and across the Capital means that he can be an effective speaker and I hope he runs, although it’s not clear he’s going to.”
The caveat being Ryan hasn’t decided if he’s going to run for the Speakership or not. Lance said, “I think that he and his wife are making that decision. He’s in Wisconsin this week. The Ryan’s have three young children, the youngest of whom I think is 13-years-old, and so I think it’s a family decision for Paul Ryan and his family.”
The person chosen to be the new Speaker will inherit the same problems Boehner faced to some extent, he said. “We have a healthy debate in the Republican conference and I hope that we can come together and I want a candidate for Speaker who can become Speaker, who can become a cohesive force for the whole caucus and work with those on the other side as well, he said. “But first we have to make sure that the Speaker is someone who has the respect of the entire Republican conference.”
One person who’s name has come up, and is even more Conservative that Ryan, is Dan Webster. Webster has said he wants to fundamentally change the Speakership, making the leadership style more bottom up. Lance agrees, saying, “I agree with Congressman Webster on that and I think Paul Ryan would be of that opinion because he comes out the committee structure himself. My concern with Congressman Webster is that he represents a district in Florida that may be changed through reapportionment. The districts are undergoing an analysis by the federal courts. Congressman Webster has been the Speaker of the House in the Florida Legislature. I respect him. He’s been in my office for my support, but I am supporting Congressman Ryan, if he runs.”
No matter who becomes the Speaker, Lance says Republicans want to make sure that government continues to stay open. “I am a believer that we do not involve ourselves with shutting down the government. That occurred several years ago. I think it inured to our detriment, and I think we lost the Virginia Governorship as a result of that,” he said. “I, of course, want greater fiscal responsibility and have voted that way, but there are essential functions of the federal government, paying our troops on time, for example, and we now have a continuing resolution that will fund government to Dec. 11. But then we need legislation that government continues to operate. [We need] Fiscally responsible government, and under Republican leadership we have become more fiscally responsible.”