Speaker Ryan's Retirement Is a "Football Captain Quitting Halfway Through"
House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) announced Wednesday he would not seek re-election in November, signaling that Republicans may have a more difficult time maintaining their Congressional majority through the midterm elections.
Ryan’s decision took his Republican colleagues and Democratic opponents by surprise, though he reminded reporters Wednesday he agreed to take up the Speaker’s job in 2015 “reluctantly.”
“I have given this job everything I have,” he said, according to the Associated Press. “We’re going to have a great record to run on.”
Ryan said he decided not to run again to spend more time with his three teenage children, who live in the same Wisconsin town in which Ryan grew up.
He will serve until the end of his term, in January.
His decision not to seek reelection will likely ignite the campaign for his Wisconsin seat and could swell the wave of Republican lawmakers deciding not to run, said Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ).
“When the captain of the football team quits the game halfway through, gives you a good indication of how the rest of the game is going to go,” Gallego told Cheddar. “He knows he’s going to be a minority leader next year.”
“I think Republicans should really be worried about the tsunami that’s coming,” Gallego added.
After Ryan’s announcement, Rep. Dennis Ross (R-FL) announced he would retire after eight terms in the House.
More than 40 Republicans have announced that they won’t run in 2018, either because they’re retiring or seeking other office. Democrats need 24 seats to take back control of the House for the first time since 2011.
Republicans’ chances of maintaining their majority have been hurt by growing voter dissatisfaction and President Trump’s low approval ratings -- around 40 percent in recent polls.
Gallego, who represents Arizona’s 7th district, criticized Trump’s policies, especially his proposed border wall.
Funding for the wall was excluded from the recent $1.3 billion bipartisan spending bill the president signed, frustrating Trump. Instead, he suggested sending up to 4,000 National Guard troops to the southern border with Mexico, though they will not have the authority to make arrests or “perform law enforcement duties.” The governors of California, Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona have all agreed to send the National Guard.
Gallego criticized the president, saying he was using the National Guard as “a prop” in a political debate.
“There is no emergency,” Gallego said. “There’s no reason you call up the National Guard and call it a crisis, just so you can boost up your poll numbers.”
Last December, the arrests of illegal immigrants trying to cross into the U.S. dipped to the lowest level since 1971.
For the full interview, [click here.](https://cheddar.com/videos/why-rep-ruben-gallego-says-the-game-isnt-going-to-end-well-for-republicans-this-november)
Stephanie Akin, Politics Reporter for CQ Roll Call, breaks down
Senator Manchin's donation pool, and highlights what this support means for the conservative Democrat as well as the Republican party.
The global oil benchmark surpassed $90 for the first time in more than seven years. This comes as growing tensions between Russia and Ukraine add to concerns about the already-tight market. Jay Hatfield, Chief Investment Officer at ICAP, joined Cheddar to discuss what this benchmark means for the oil industry, and what might happen if Russia does invade its neighbor.
With the Beijing Winter Olympics set to get underway on Friday, Dan Wolken, a national columnist for USA Today, joined Cheddar News to break down the big storylines as the pandemic and international conflicts threaten to cast a cloud over the event that is aspirationally seen as a beacon of international cooperation. Wolken noted specific issues over cybersecurity for visiting athletes and disputes over human rights leading to a diplomatic boycott have been making waves even before the opening ceremony. "So you've got sort of these barbs going back and forth already between the Americans and the Chinese, and things haven't even started yet," he said. "We don't even know what's going to happen once the games start and people actually start winning medals."
We are a week away from the 2022 Beijing Olympics, and China has already faced a host of problems leading up to the opening ceremony of the Beijing games. DJ Peterson, president of Longview Global Advisors, joins Cheddar News to discuss the many concerns and controversies surrounding the event.
In 2021, QAnon, the community which traffics in conspiracy theories saw a rapid growth in its numbers. As a result of vaccine rollouts, a number of conspiracies surrounding them also began to circulate which then led to the rise of "Anti-Vaxxers". As a result, the QAnon and anti-vax communities have become increasingly intertwined and the results could be costing lives. Senior Researcher at Media Matters Alex Kaplan, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
Supreme Court Justice Breyer has announced that he will officially retire from his post. He has served as the senior member of the more liberal wing in recent years. Now his retirement puts pressure on President Biden to decide on who will replace Breyer. Attorney and Media Editor at SCOTUS blog Katie Barlow, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
A long awaited report in the UK looking into the alleged parties held at 10 Downing Street during lockdown finds a culture of excessive drinking and a "failure of leadership" in Boris Johnson's government. Cheddar News speaks with international journalist Thomas Cole, who is closely monitoring latest developments.
While Donald Trump stated he would be willing to pardon Capitol Hill insurrectionists should he return to the presidency, the January 6 Committee issued subpoenas to 14 individuals who cast bogus electoral votes for the former president in seven states won by Joe Biden in 2020. Molly Jong-Fast, editor-at-large at The Daily Beast, joined Cheddar News to discuss the ongoing congressional investigation. "It is kind of crazy that every time Trump speaks, he kind of confesses a little more of what he was up to, but you really have to have proof," said Jong-Fast.
Natalie Fertig, federal cannabis policy reporter at Politico Pro, joins Cheddar News to discuss a new YouGov poll that looks at how Americans feel about marijuana and politics.
