- AFTER SHARING THE NEWS FIRST WITH HIS STAFF,
THEN IN A GATHERING OF HOUSE LEADERS,
WISCONSIN CONGRESSMAN AND HOUSE SPEAKER PAUL RYAN TOOK TO THE
PODIUM IN WASHINGTON WEDNESDAY AND MADE IT OFFICIAL.
HIS CURRENT TERM IS HIS LAST.
HE SAID HIS DECISION WAS BASED ON FAMILY FIRST.
- ALL THREE OF OUR KIDS ARE TEENAGERS.
ONE THING I'VE LEARNED ABOUT TEENAGERS IS THEIR IDEA OF AN
IDEAL WEEKEND IS NOT NECESSARILY TO SPEND ALL OF THEIR TIME
WITH THEIR PARENTS.
WHAT I REALIZE IS, IF I AM HERE FOR ONE MORE TERM,
MY KIDS WILL ONLY HAVE EVER KNOWN ME AS A WEEKEND DAD.
I JUST CAN'T LET THAT HAPPEN.
SOME OF YOU KNOW MY STORY.
MY DAD DIED WHEN I WAS 16, THE AGE MY DAUGHTER IS.
AND I JUST DON'T WANT TO BE ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE LOOKING BACK AT
MY LIFE THINKING I'D SPEND MORE TIME WITH MY KIDS WHEN I KNOW
IF I SPEND ANOTHER TERM,
THEY WILL ONLY KNOW ME AS A WEEKEND FATHER.
PROBABLY THE TWO BIGGEST ACHIEVEMENTS FOR ME ARE FIRST:
THE MAJOR REFORM OF OUR TAX CODE FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 36 YEARS.
WHICH HAS ALREADY BEEN A HUGE SUCCESS FOR THIS COUNTRY.
THAT'S SOMETHING I'VE BEEN WORKING ON MY ENTIRE ADULT LIFE.
SECOND, SOMETHING I GOT MUCH, MUCH MORE INVESTED ON SINCE
BECOMING SPEAKER IS TO REBUILD OUR NATION'S MILITARY.
AND AFTER TAX REFORM, ADDRESSING OUR MILITARY READINESS CRISIS,
THAT WAS A TOP PRIORITY WE GOT DONE LAST MONTH AS WELL.
- CONGRESSMAN RYAN'S ANNOUNCEMENT LEAVES MANY
QUESTIONS LIKE, "WHO WILL RUN AS A REPUBLICAN
FROM WISCONSIN'S 1ST CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT?"
WHAT WILL RYAN'S DECISION MEAN FOR OTHER REPUBLICANS
IN THE MIDTERMS?
WHAT DOES RYAN'S MOVE MEAN FOR DEMOCRATS?
THOSE TOPICS JUST AHEAD, BUT FIRST A LOOK BACK AT ONE OF
WISCONSIN'S MOST FAMOUS POLITICIANS.
THIS WAS WISCONSIN'S INTRODUCTION TO PAUL RYAN,
WHEN HE FIRST DIPPED HIS TOE INTO POLITICS.
- MR. RYAN CURRENTLY WORKS IN MARKETING
AT HIS FAMILY'S CONSTRUCTION COMPANY.
THIS IS HIS FIRST RUN FOR PUBLIC OFFICE.
AND WE WELCOME YOU TO "WEEKEND," MR. RYAN.
- THANK YOU VERY MUCH. NICE TO BE HERE.
- VOTERS WENT ON TO ELECT THE JANESVILLE 20-SOMETHING IN 1998,
THE SAME YEAR NEWT GINGRICH STEPPED DOWN AS HOUSE SPEAKER.
- WELL IT LOOKS LIKE WE'RE GOING TO HAVE
SOME NEW, FRESH LEADERSHIP.
- FOURTEEN YEARS AFTER THAT...
[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]
...RYAN WAS STUMPING FOR THE SECOND HIGHEST OFFICE IN THE LAND.
- HE REPRESENTS THE BEST OF AMERICA.
A MAN WHO WILL ALWAYS MAKE US VERY PROUD.
MY FRIEND AND AMERICA'S NEXT VICE PRESIDENT, PAUL RYAN.
[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]
- PAUL RYAN'S RUN FOR VICE PRESIDENT CATAPULTED HIM TO NEW
POLITICAL HEIGHTS NATIONALLY.
- I LOVE WISCONSIN.
- AND IN WISCONSIN'S 1ST CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT.
EVEN AS HE LAUNCHED HIS CAMPAIGN FOR HIGHER OFFICE,
THE BADGER STATE HELD A SPECIAL PLACE.
- IT IS GOOD TO BE HOME.
[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]
- AND NOW BEING HOME WITH HIS WIFE JANNA AND THEIR THREE
CHILDREN IS WHAT HE SAYS HE WANTS INSTEAD OF MORE ELECTIONS
AND MORE TIME AWAY, NO MATTER HIS POLITICAL SUCCESS.
- IT REALLY IS A STORY OF CHEESEHEAD DOMINATION.
[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]
- FOLLOWING THE REPUBLICAN LOSS OF THE 2012 ELECTION,
RYAN RETURNED TO CONGRESS
AND HIS CHAIRMANSHIP OF THE HOUSE BUDGET COMMITTEE.
HE WAS BRIEFLY CHAIR OF WAYS AND MEANS BEFORE BEING ELECTED HOUSE
SPEAKER IN 2015.