Paul Ryan: No Mass Deportations on My Watch

“We always have been, and we always will be”, said House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis.

The White House threatened a presidential veto Wednesday of House Republicans legislation aimed at increasing screenings for Syrian and Iraqi refugees before they enter the United States, calling new requirements in the bill “untenable”.

“I can’t imagine how it could happen, so no”, Ryan said in an interview with CBS’ 60 Minutes, when asked if he would support Trump’s proposal.

Despite remaining under intense pressure from Tea Party-aligned representatives, Ryan has nevertheless pledged to work with Democrats.

He has spoken to President Barack Obama and feels he is someone he can work with even though his predecessor, John Boehner, didn’t have much success.

‘Sure. Yeah. Look, this is the job. Absolutely. He’s the president of the United States. “My name is ‘Ryan'”. “My president, too. … this government does have to work”.

But he also offered an olive branch to Democrats, saying he wants to change the partisan tone of legislative negotiating in Washington. She said she suggested he decline the opportunity. “What would help, and I think this was a universal message in the meeting we just had – on both sides of the aisle, I might add – is that someone needs to explain clearly to the American people the processes we go through before we admit refugees”.

“I see myself as more of a policy maker than a political leader”. “I came into it no. Then, I realized the situation in our caucus was fairly dire, and that I sort of had an obligation and a duty to step up and do it”.

“And now that I’m doing it, I feel it’s a great honor”, Ryan said.

Asked about personal adversity, Ryan said he first experience with a serious setback was losing his father to a heart attack when Ryan was only 16 years old. McConnell said he had spoken with Ryan the day before and is keeping dialogue open with the Obama administration.

To stay grounded as a family man despite his new title, Ryan repeated his oft-told story that he still sleeps on a cot in his old congressional office in the Longworth House Office Building.

Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson told reporters his department had already made a few changes to the visa waiver program earlier this year and called the it an important program for “lawful trade and travel” and said there are 38 countries who are “best friends” who use the program for tourism.

He believes he can find common ground with Democrats on highway infrastructure funding, tax policy and funding the government.

Ryan, 45, who was chairman of the the House tax-writing panel before becoming the leader of the chamber in October, said he wants to reform and simplify the tax code.