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Washington DC, as the House of Representatives prepares for another day of voting on who will wield the Speaker’s gavel, voters are divided over whether Republican Rep. Kevin McCarthy should get the job.
Continue reading Less Than Half of GOP Voters Want McCarthy as House Speaker
October 23, 2015
By Scott Greenberg
After only ten months as the Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, Congressman Paul Ryan is accepting a promotion. Yesterday, Congressman Ryan announced his candidacy for Speaker of the House, and he is all but certain to win next Thursday’s election.
While it is unclear exactly when Chairman Ryan will cede the gavel to his successor, he will have served one of the shortest terms as Ways and Means chairman in modern times. Since 1871, only two chairmen of the Ways and Means Committee have served less than a full year – Sam Gibbons and Sander Levin, both of whom were acting chairmen.
Nevertheless, during Chairman Ryan’s short term at the head of Ways and Means, he has taken part in several important developments in the world of tax policy:
At the very beginning of Chairman Ryan’s term, the House of Representativesadopted dynamic scoring – a rule that requires official budget estimates of legislation to take into account the law’s effects on the economy. Chairman Ryan played an important part in promoting this change, arguing that dynamic scoring is “reality-based.” We have argued the same case on multiple occasions.
Chairman Ryan has been closely involved in efforts to continue funding the Highway Trust Fund. While he unfortunately ruled out the possibility of adjusting federal gas taxes to provide a long-term source of revenue for the fund, his efforts led to a three-month extension of highway funding.
Under Chairman Ryan’s tenure, Congress renewed its focus on international tax reform. Ryan has advocated for a territorial tax system, which would end the double taxation of income earned abroad by U.S. companies.
Finally, Chairman Ryan has continually pushed to make bonus depreciation permanent. Bonus depreciation allows businesses to immediately deduct half of their investment expenses, which we estimate would lead to significant economic growth.
Under Chairman Ryan’s tenure, the Ways and Means Committee was one of the most productive in the House of Representatives. In the last 10 months, the Ways and Means Committee has brought 52 bills to the House floor, tied for most with the Energy and Commerce Committee. Out of these bills, 15 were passed into law, the most out of any committee.
Many analysts expect that, if he is elected as Speaker, Chairman Ryan will continue his focus on tax policy. If so, the prospects for sound, comprehensive tax reform are bright.
storm the Bastille
“I’m not too concerned about the thoughts and opinions of opinion writers in newspapers these days. I’m worried about the opinion of our grassroots, our voters, our activists, those who are watching us, “ Sean Spicer, top strategist for the Republican National Committee (RNC)
Top GOP strategist: House leadership turmoil ‘a good thing’
By Mike Lillis
A leader of the GOP’s campaign arm is defending the current upheaval among House Republicans, saying the turbulent search to replace outgoing Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) will ultimately benefit the party.
“There’s a lot of discussion going on as far as the direction, the vision that our party wants to go and who [is] the best person to lead it. You’ve seen it both in the presidential cycle, in terms of the number of candidates that we have up there and the competition that’s going on, and frankly now you’re seeing it in the House,” Sean Spicer, top strategist for the Republican National Committee (RNC), told CNN Saturday.
“I believe this is a good thing. It’s good for the party to go through these discussions, to have different people put their ideas and their vision out there, and for the best person to win.”
Spicer acknowledged that picking leaders is “not always the prettiest” process, but he rejected the notion that the party is at war with itself and dismissed the charges of Republican “chaos”and “dysfunction” as fantasies of the media.
“I’m not too concerned about the thoughts and opinions of opinion writers in newspapers these days. I’m worried about the opinion of our grassroots, our voters, our activists, those who are watching us,” Spicer said.
He noted that a string of recent victories have given Republicans control over most state houses across the country, and he highlighted the fact that the GOP’s House majority is the largest since the Hoover administration.
“So, as a party, we’re doing pretty well when you look at the actual number [of] wins that we’re getting,” Spicer said.
https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/256591-top-gop-strategist-house-division-a-good-thing
By Bradford Richardson – 10/10/15 01:08 PM EDT
Guests on the Sunday talk shows will try to shed some light on a bizarre week in Congress, as several Republican House members make the rounds to discuss the chaotic race for Speaker.
Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah), who announced a bid for the Speaker’s gavel last Sunday, joins ABC’s “This Week” to discuss House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s (R-Calif.) sudden departure from the race and the conference’s shaky leadership situation.
Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), chairman of the conservative Freedom Caucus, who has beenfloated as a potential Speaker despite repeated assurances that he will not run, joins “Fox News Sunday” to weigh in on the race.
Former Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.), who said he is open to a return to the House’s top job if he can get the votes, will also make an appearance on the Fox News program.
Rep. Mick Mulvaney (R-S.C.), a founding member of the Freedom Caucus and a prominent critic of outgoing Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), joins CBS’s “Face the Nation” to give his take on who should take up the gavel.
GOP Reps. Charlie Dent (Pa.), a centrist, and Dave Brat (Va.), the Freedom Caucus member who bested previous Majority Leader Eric Cantor in a GOP primary, will headline NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
Also discussing the pandemonium over the Speaker race are Republican Reps. Raul Labrador (Idaho) and Tom Cole (Okla.), who will each appear on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
Several candidates from the Republican and Democratic primaries will also make appearances, as the latter group prepares for their first debate on Tuesday.
https://thehill.com/homenews/sunday-talk-shows/256590-speaker-race-to-dominate-sunday-shows
October 07, 2015, 05:04 pm
By Cristina Marcos
The conservative House Freedom Caucus is endorsing Rep. Daniel Webster (R-Fla.) for Speaker, potentially preventing any candidate from securing enough votes to win the gavel on the House floor.
The endorsement of Webster, who won just 12 votes for Speaker against now-retiring John Boehner (R-Ohio) in January, is a blow to House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), the leading candidate for the position.
The conservative House Freedom Caucus is endorsing Rep. Daniel Webster (R-Fla.) for Speaker, potentially preventing any candidate from securing enough votes to win the gavel on the House floor.
The endorsement of Webster, who won just 12 votes for Speaker against now-retiring John Boehner (R-Ohio) in January, is a blow to House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), the leading candidate for the position.
https://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/house/256270-freedom-caucus-endorses-rep-webster-for-speaker
