Paul Ryan's Actions: Lawful Or Not?

Paul Ryan is an American politician who served as the 54th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 2015 to 2019. He is a member of the Republican Party and was the vice-presidential nominee in the 2012 election, losing to Barack Obama and Joe Biden. Ryan has been criticised for his association with Fox News and for his lack of criticism of the network's coverage of the January 6 attack on the US Capitol. However, it has been revealed that Ryan privately pleaded with Rupert Murdoch to stop broadcasting Donald Trump's false election claims. Ryan has also been criticised for his failure to publicly denounce Trump's election lies. Despite this, Ryan has maintained that his party needs to move on from Trump if they want to win future elections.

Paul Ryan's role in the passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017

Paul Ryan, the 54th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, played a key role in the passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. Ryan, a self-proclaimed "deficit hawk", had long been a proponent of tax cuts and privatisation. During his time as Speaker of the House, he championed a $1.3 trillion government-wide spending bill that significantly boosted military spending.

Ryan's role in the passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 was a culmination of his decades-long career in politics. As a congressman, he had authored proposals such as "The Path to Prosperity" and "A Better Way", which advocated for significant federal tax cuts, among other things. Ryan's focus on fiscal policy and his influence in the Republican Party meant that he was able to shape the national dialogue around tax cuts and privatisation.

In the lead-up to the passage of the Act, Ryan was a unifying figure in the House of Representatives. He had been elected Speaker in 2015 after John Boehner's resignation, and his leadership was crucial in bringing together different factions within the Republican Party. Ryan's reputation as a "serious-minded policy expert" and his relationship with President Donald Trump also contributed to his influence during this period.

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 was passed by both houses of Congress in December 2017 and was signed into law by President Trump on December 22, 2017. The Act provided for a $1.5 trillion tax cut, which was projected to add an additional $1.5 trillion to the national debt over a decade. However, the nonpartisan Joint Committee on Taxation estimated that the GDP level would be 0.7% higher during the same period.

Paul Ryan's stance on the privatization of social security

Paul Ryan, a member of the Republican Party, has long championed the privatization of social insurance programs. In the mid-2000s, Ryan was a major proponent of Social Security privatization. He helped lay the groundwork for George W. Bush's push to privatize Social Security. Ryan worked with former Sen. John Sununu to create a plan that was centered on the creation of personal savings accounts. Under the plan, a portion of an individual's payroll tax contribution would be diverted from the OASDI trust fund into an individual account, which would then be invested.

Ryan's plan to privatize Social Security would take $4.9 trillion out of the Social Security Trust Fund, according to Social Security's Chief Actuary. It would also slash guaranteed Social Security benefits for all future retirees. A typical middle-income worker's Social Security would be cut by a total of 39 percent—almost $6,000 a year in today's dollars. The plan would also force seniors to work longer, raising the retirement age for Social Security even for those who are physically unable to continue working.

Ryan's plan would also increase the national debt for nearly 50 years, requiring the federal government to borrow an additional $1.2 trillion. This is an improvement over Ryan's previous plan, which increased the debt by $2.4 trillion in just the first ten years.

Ryan has a long history of promoting benefit cuts and privatization for Social Security. He has put forth various iterations of personal savings accounts and plans to raise the retirement age and cut benefits. He has also supported block-granting Medicaid to the states and the privatization of Medicare.

Ryan's stance on the privatization of Social Security is in line with his self-proclaimed position as a "deficit hawk." He has also supported other policies that align with this position, such as significant federal tax cuts and the repeal of the Affordable Care Act.

Paul Ryan's involvement with Fox News

Ryan has faced criticism for his apparent inaction in addressing the spread of misinformation on Fox News, particularly regarding the network's coverage of the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Despite Ryan's emotional response to the insurrection, he has offered no public criticism of Fox News for repeatedly running stories claiming that the gathering was peaceful.

In the legal filing by Dominion, which is suing Fox News for defamation, it was revealed that Ryan had privately pleaded with Rupert Murdoch and his son Lachlan Murdoch to prevent the spread of Donald Trump's bogus election claims. Ryan urged Fox to "move on" from Trump and "stop spouting election lies." However, his weak public response to the lies broadcast by Fox has drawn comparisons to his indifference to the "corruption and contempt for the rule of law" exhibited by Trump.

Ryan's failure to provide proper oversight of the company has led experts on corporate board governance to argue that he has neglected his responsibilities under corporate governance law. Despite this, Ryan has defended his association with Fox News, stating that he has a responsibility to offer his opinion and perspective, which he does, but chooses not to do so on TV.

In addition to his role at Fox Corporation, Ryan also serves as a general partner of the private equity firm Solamere Capital, LLC, and as Vice Chairman of Teneo Strategy LLC.

Paul Ryan's views on the Affordable Care Act

Paul Ryan, a member of the Republican Party, was the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 2015 to 2019. Ryan was a vocal critic of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as Obamacare. He described the act as a spectacular failure and gave it a damning assessment.

Ryan's main criticisms of the ACA centred around its impact on insurance costs and coverage. He argued that the act was collapsing and that it was burdening average Americans with high healthcare costs. He claimed that the ACA was not popular and that it limited people's freedom to keep their preferred healthcare plans. Ryan also stated that the ACA was "jammed through to an unsuspecting country", suggesting a lack of transparency in its progression.

In contrast, Ryan promoted the American Health Care Act (AHCA) as a preferable alternative. He described the AHCA as an "act of mercy" that would unburden Americans from high healthcare costs. He guaranteed that the bill would pass the House, stating that it had enough votes to do so.

However, Ryan's claims about the ACA were disputed by some experts. While acknowledging that there were issues with the ACA, they argued that declaring it a "failure" was problematic and required more nuance. They pointed out that the ACA had resulted in more people gaining health insurance, a reduction in the percentage of Americans without health insurance, and slower-rising healthcare costs.

Ryan's stance on the ACA is consistent with his broader political views. He is a self-proclaimed deficit hawk who favours tax cuts and the privatization of government programs. He has also supported deregulation and opposed consumer protection measures in the financial industry.

Paul Ryan's relationship with Donald Trump

Ryan has, at times, disagreed with and distanced himself from Trump. In June 2016, he disavowed Trump's comments about Judge Gonzalo P. Curiel, believing them to be "the textbook definition of a racist comment". Following the Donald Trump Access Hollywood controversy in October 2016, Ryan disinvited Trump from a scheduled campaign rally and said he would no longer defend or support his campaign. In response, Trump attacked Ryan, accusing him and other "disloyal" Republicans of deliberately undermining his candidacy.

Despite their differences, Ryan has continued to endorse Trump, believing that more Republican policies will be enacted under him. In December 2017, Ryan helped pass the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which Trump later signed into law. Ryan has also provided political cover for Devin Nunes, chair of the House Intelligence Committee, who has been characterised as a source of dysfunction in the committee's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.

In April 2018, Ryan announced he would not run for re-election, stating that he had done his "little part in history to set [the country] on a better course". Trump tweeted that Ryan would leave a "legacy of achievement that nobody can question". In a 2022 interview, Ryan described himself as a "Never-Again Trumper", highlighting how the Republican Party lost elections under Trump. A year later, he derided Trump as a "populist, authoritarian narcissist" and "not a conservative". In June 2024, Ryan stated that he would not vote for Trump in the 2024 election.

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