Ryan: Elections have consequences

House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) told his colleagues that the budget deal he reached with Senate Democrats is an attempt to make divided government work, and said if Republicans want more aggressive cuts, they will have to start winning elections.

“Elections have consequences,” Ryan said near the end of debate on the bipartisan budget bill. “And I fundamentally believe — this is my personal opinion, I know it’s a slightly partisan thing to say — to really do what we think needs to be done, we’re going to have to win some elections.”

{mosads}”And in the meantime, let’s try to make this divided government work.”

Ryan noted that he played a role last year trying to return Republicans to the White House, as the GOP’s candidate for vice president. But he noted that his team fell short.

“We tried defeating this president,” he said, referring to President Obama. “I wish we would have.”

Ryan’s comments came after a long day in which Republicans were forced to defend the budget deal from conservative groups who said the bill replaces sequester cuts with new fees, including fees on anyone who buys an airline ticket. Several conservative groups called on members to vote down the budget deal.

The deal replaces $63 billion in sequester cuts with reforms aimed at stopping fraud and government overpayments, as well as fees on airline tickets and higher customs user fees.