http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/paul-ryan-immigration-obama/2015/11/01/id/700005/Newsmax
House Speaker Ryan Says it Would be 'Ridiculous' to Work with Obama on Immigration
Sunday, November 1, 2015 08:36 AM
By: Newsmax Wires
House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan said on Sunday it would be ridiculous to work with President Barack Obama on immigration reform, saying he cannot trust the president on the issue.
"I think it would be a ridiculous notion to try and work on an issue like this with a president we simply cannot trust on this issue," Ryan said in an interview aired on the CBS program "Face the Nation."
"He tried to go it alone, circumventing the legislative process with his executive orders so that is not in the cards. I think if we reach consensus on how best to achieve border and interior enforcement security, I think that's fine," Ryan added.
On the first weekend since taking the reins from retiring Representative John Boehner of Ohio, the Wisconsin Republican vowed on NBC News’ "Meet the Press" to offer Americans a bold, specific and clear agenda, producing Republican solutions on the economy, health care and foreign policy.
Ryan inherits a Republican conference that’s divided over whether to cooperate with Obama and Democrats in Congress to forge agreements — such as the two-year budget deal passed Oct. 28 by the House — or instead use their power over the nation’s purse to try to force policy concessions from the president.
"We do not like the direction that the president is taking the country," Ryan said in a transcript provided by the network. "That means we have to be a proposition party. We have to be the alternative party."
Ryan, 45, who is scheduled to appear on five different talk shows on Sunday, promised to do more to hold open discussions about emerging legislation, a key demand of the conservative Freedom Caucus. Ryan said he wanted to have the House "working like it was intended to work."
"I can’t pick up where John (Boehner) left off. It has to be done differently," Ryan said in a separate interview on CBS’ "Face the Nation."
The appropriations process, in which Congress funds the government by passing 12 separate spending bills, would be back on track, Ryan said. Some Republicans have criticized Boehner for failing to pass appropriations bills and being forced to negotiate budget deals with Obama.
Ryan declined to say whom he would support for the Republican presidential nomination, saying the Speaker should remain neutral. Any of the 16 declared Republican candidates would be preferable to Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton, he said.
‘Untrustworthy’ President
House Republicans won’t be offering legislation on immigration reform, a policy priority Ryan had championed as a regular member of the House, he said, adding that Obama has attempted to go around Congress with executive orders, making him an unreliable partner. The House would restrict itself to passing smaller bills on border enforcement or interior security if there’s consensus among Republicans, he said.
"I don’t believe we should advance comprehensive immigration legislation with a president who has proven himself untrustworthy," Ryan said.
In an appearance on FOX’s "Fox News Sunday," Ryan said Republicans had been "too timid on policy. We’ve been too timid on vision."
The new Speaker said he did not intend to take a more combative tack with Republicans in the Senate. "Throwing Republicans under the bus is not in my job description," said Ryan.
