House

Ryan: Make America confident again

by Scott Wong - 12/03/15 5:00 AM ET

Republicans want to restore confidence in America both at home and abroad, House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) will say in a speech Thursday afternoon.

Ryan’s appearance in the Library of Congress’s Great Hall is being billed as the Wisconsin Republican’s first major address following his inaugural speech as Speaker in late October in the House chamber.

{mosads}College students saddled with debt should be able to find good-paying jobs, Ryan will say. And after decades of working hard and paying taxes, seniors shouldn’t have to worry about losing their Medicare and Social Security.

“We want America to be confident again. … We want all Americans, when they look at Washington, to see spending going down, taxes going down, debt going down,” Ryan will say, according to excerpts of his speech. “We want to see progress and have pride. We want people to believe in the future again. We want a country where no one’s stuck, where no one settles, where everyone can rise.

“Only government that sends power back to the people can make America confident again.”

To win back the White House in 2016, the GOP can’t just “time travel back to 2009” and try to roll back ObamaCare and President Obama’s other policies, Ryan will say. Republicans must lay out specific proposals of their own to give voters a “real choice.”

“I mean, show what we would do, what our ideal policy would be — looking forward to 2017 and beyond,” Ryan will say in the address. “We owe it to the country to offer a bold, pro-growth agenda. And that is what we are going to do.”

The new Speaker will delve into specific policy proposals, including streamlining welfare programs and sending money back to the states to fight poverty.

He’ll also call for reforming the Pentagon, making it easier to acquire advanced missile defense and other weapons so the military can quickly adapt to new threats.

“We need to build a 21st century military. And I don’t mean just pour more money into the Pentagon,” Ryan will say.

Ryan, the GOP’s 2012 vice presidential nominee, will be introduced by Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), a Tea Party favorite.

The Speaker will preview his speech Thursday during appearances on CBS’s “This Morning” at 8:30 a.m. and MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” at 8:40 a.m.

Tags Paul Ryan