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[h=4]Paul Ryan, elected 54th speaker, pledges to fix 'broken' House[/h]Newly elected Speaker Paul Ryan said Thursday it is time to fix a "broken" House and begin solving the nation's problems instead of adding to them.
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Paul Ryan was sworn in as the 54th speaker of the House. He remarked that, to him, the House represents the best of America, but that it is broken and needs fixing. USA TODAY
Newly elected Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., receives the speaker's gavel from House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., on Oct. 29, 2015.(Photo: Saul Loeb, AFP/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON — Newly elected Speaker Paul Ryan said Thursday it is time to fix a "broken" House and begin solving the nation's problems instead of adding to them.
"The American people make this country work, and the House should work for them," Ryan said in a speech on the House floor after his election. "What a relief it would be to the American people if we finally got our act together. What a weight off their shoulders."
Ryan was elected the 54th speaker of the House as his colleagues looked to the Wisconsin Republican to help unite his fractious party and end the constant crises that have come to dominate the chamber in recent years.
He received 236 of the 432 votes cast. Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., received 184. Rep. Daniel Webster, R-Fla., got 9 votes. A handful of other people got a total of three votes.
The 45-year-old Ryan, who was the Republican nominee for vice president in 2012, is the youngest speaker to lead the House in 140 years and the first member of Congress from Wisconsin to win the job. He has served as chairman of two of the most powerful committees — Budget and Ways and Means — during his nearly 17 years in Congress.
Ryan vowed Thursday to give committee chairman and rank-and-file members more power over crafting the legislation that comes before the House. That has been a key demand of the rebellious Freedom Caucus, a group of about 40 outspoken conservatives who helped force outgoing Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, from office.
"We need to let every member contribute, not once they have earned their stripes, but right now," Ryan said. "If you know the issue, you should write the bill."
Paul Ryan greets fellow lawmakers on the House floor before being elected speaker on Oct. 29, 2015.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>(Photo: Chip Somodevilla, Getty Images)
Ryan also promised a return to "regular order," where bills come to the House floor for a vote only after a committee has held hearings on the legislation and voted to recommend the bill to the full House. The Freedom Caucus and others have complained that too many bills have been rushed to the House floor by leadership, giving members little time to study the legislation.
"When we rush to pass bills that a lot of us do not understand, we are not doing our job," Ryan said.
He said he understands that "a neglected minority will gum up the works."
"A respected minority will work in good faith," Ryan said.
Ryan initially balked at running for speaker but was persuaded by his GOP colleagues to become a candidate after Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., withdrew his candidacy because he did not believe he had the 218 votes needed to win. Ryan decided to run only after winning the support of the three major factions of House Republicans — moderates, traditional conservatives and the Freedom Caucus.
"He did not seek this office; the office sought him," said House Republican Conference Chairwoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers, who formally nominated Ryan on the House floor Thursday.
USA TODAY
House Republicans nominate Paul Ryan to be speaker
USA TODAY
Speaker John Boehner bids farewell 'with no regrets or burdens'
Ryan said he does not want to place blame for the problems that have plagued the divided House.
"We are not settling scores," he said. "We are wiping the slate clean."
He said it's time for House members to prove themselves worthy of the honor their constituents have given them by electing them to Congress.
"When we are done, let us say we left the people — all the people — more united, happy and free," Ryan said.
Boehner wished Ryan well in an emotional farewell speech before the vote.
"Paul is being called to serve," Boehner said. "I know he will serve that calling with grace and energy. I wish him and his family all the best."
Boehner, who has served in the House for 25 years and been speaker for the past five, said he is leaving Congress on Friday with "no regrets, no burdens."
"If anything, I leave as I started — just a regular guy humbled by the chance to do a big job," Boehner said. "That's what I'm most proud of — that I'm still just me."
Boehner drew laughter from his colleagues as he grabbed a box of Kleenex before he started to speak. He is known for his tearful speeches.
The retiring speaker urged his colleagues to have patience.
"Real change takes time," Boehner said. "So believe in the long, slow struggle ... Believe in the decency of people to come together and do what can be done."
Before he stepped down as speaker, Boehner won House approval Wednesday of a two-year budget package that should help prevent Ryan from having to deal with any immediate fiscal crises such as a government shutdown or a default on the nation's debt. The Senate is expected to approve the budget deal soon.
Ryan's mother, Betty, his wife, Janna, and his three children were in the House chamber as Ryan was sworn in. Also in attendance was Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts governor and 2012 GOP presidential nominee who chose Ryan as his running mate.
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