Obama: Ryan deserves ‘kudos’

President Obama on Friday praised Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) two months into his tenure, crediting him for helping pass a $1.1 trillion government-funding bill.

“He has been professional. He has reached out to tell me what he can do and what he cannot do. I think it’s a good working relationship,” Obama said at a year-end press conference. “Kudos to him.”

{mosads}Hours before Obama spoke, Congress passed the a tax extenders bill and government funding legislation with strong bipartisan votes in both chambers. The legislation funds the government for nearly all of Obama’s remaining time in office and resolves a number of tricky tax and spending issues that had bedeviled much of Obama’s work with congressional Republicans since taking office.

Obama also took time to credit Ryan’s predecessor, former Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio). The president noted that one of Boehner’s final acts in office was to hammer out a budget deal that provided the framework for the funding legislation that Congress just passed.

“John Boehner did a favor to all of us, including now Speaker Ryan,” said Obama. “He was able to do that because he was going out the door, and was then given, I think, a little more room to maneuver.”

Obama heaped praise on congressional leaders in both parties, but singled out Ryan, who took over as Speaker at the end of October, for praise. He said the more orderly process under Ryan is “more typical of American democracy.”

“We recognize that we disagree on a whole bunch of other stuff, and have fundamentally different visions for where we want the country to go,” Obama said. “Perhaps because, even before he was elected, he worked on Capitol Hill, he is respectful of the process and respectful of how legislation works.”

After the House passed the funding bill, Obama called Ryan, according to a GOP aide. The president thanked Ryan, wished him a Merry Christmas, and invited him to the White House sometime in the new year.