David Mark of the Washington Examiner reports on former U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan’s brief interaction with U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
Former House Speaker Paul Ryan says first-term Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez isn’t heeding advice he gave on his way out of Congress, to keep a lower profile starting off on Capitol Hill.
The Wisconsin Republican, who retired from Congress in January after 20 years, including a bit over three as speaker, said during a Forward Janesville forum, he gave the Bronx-and-Queens, New York lawmaker tips about being a good member of Congress, the GazetteXtra reported.
“I don’t think she really listened to a thing. I said, you know, ‘Just take it easy, just watch things for a while,” Ryan said of the social media wunderkind, who is trying to push House Democrats to the left through her Green New Deal and other proposals.
Away from the Capitol’s klieg lights, Ryan lamented an inability of legislators to reach compromises on big public policy issues. He cited entitlement reform, healthcare changes and immigration fixes. Improve those, “and we will have another spectacular American century,” he said.
Ryan largely deflected questions on his working relationship with President Trump. While leading the House, Democrats, then in the minority, routinely blasted him for what they called turning a blind eye to the president’s anti-free market tariffs, and course demeanor.
“We’re a little bit different,” Ryan said.
