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Paul Ryan Marvels at What Mike Johnson Is Pulling Off As House Speaker

Guy Benson
Guy Benson  |  May 30, 2025 12:01 PM

SIMI VALLEY, CALIFORNIA - Here at the Reagan National Economy Forum, hosted at Ronald Reagan's Presidential Library, former House Speaker Paul Ryan appeared on my nationally-syndicated radio program and heaped praise on his successor and fellow 'accidental Speaker,' Mike Johnson of Louisiana.  Noting that Johnson faces a much thinner GOP majority -- a historically tight one, in fact, Ryan could not have been more complimentary of the Louisianan.  "It's really impressive," the former Republican Vice Presidential nominee said of Johnson. "He has a harder job than I did.  I had a much better [majority] margin than he has.  He has no margin [for error], and he was able to put this thing together and put it out.  I'm really impressed with his leadership."  Ryan added, "It's results.  He's delivering results, with a razor-thin majority, so honestly, everyone in this country should be grateful to Mike Johnson and his leadership skills."  

Here's that clip, followed by the full interview I conducted with the former Speaker, in which he responded to the familiar attack lines from Democrats against the 'big beautiful bill,' most of which they also falsely lobbed at the 2017 tax law.  The Trump-signed Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) helped grow the economy, reduce unemployment, boost wages, reduce tax burdens across the board, and increased federal revenues.  The critics were wrong about virtually everything, and now they're back for more.  Ryan addressed these points in our conversation:

Ryan said he couldn't envision how the US economy could avoid a recession if the 2017 tax cuts expire at the end of this year, resulting in a multi-trillion-dollar tax hike across all income groups, plus businesses large and small. That's why, he predicted, Republicans will ultimately get some version of the House-passed bill approved and signed into law by President Trump this summer.  No, this is not just a bill for 'millionaires and billionaires.'  At all:


Quite a departure from the stale, debunked-by-reality talking points emanating from the Left and many of this "news" media allies.  As for the supposedly mean-spirited Medicaid "cuts" in the bill (Medicaid spending still rises under the bill), this goes to the core of them.  If Democrats oppose these policies, let them try to explain why, rather than misleadingly bloviating about vulnerable Americans' healthcare being ripped away by stone-hearted conservatives, or whatever:

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Finally, while I agree with many conservatives' frustration with the pace of work in the GOP-led Congress thus far -- and find Elon Musk's parting disillusionment resonant -- I'll leave you with this important reminder about the rules and process around the relevant legislative vehicles:


In short, I don't fault Republicans for not codifying DOGE cuts in the reconciliation bill.  But like many others, I'm also skeptical of the eventual follow-through.