Paul Ryan’s Final Press Conference as Speaker Delayed, Then Cancelled After Trump Call
President Donald Trump isn’t expressing a whole lot of optimism about avoiding a possible government shutdown, and that may or may not have something to do with how the Republican leadership in Congress have canceled the press conference they had scheduled for today.
Paul Ryan was set to give his last presser as House Speaker on Thursday, though it was postponed amid reports from NBC’s Kasie Hunt that he was running late because he had to step away from a preliminary meeting to take a call from Trump. As she monitored the situation, Hunt eventually reported that the press conference was cancelled.
House Speaker Paul Ryan still hasn’t returned to GOP conference meeting, 20-30 minutes after he left to take an emergency call from POTUS. Republicans want a clear signal he will sign the extension of government funding before they vote “yay”.
Christmas status: AT RISK
— Kasie Hunt (@kasie) December 20, 2018
Republican leadership press conference CANCELLED
Not a good sign
— Kasie Hunt (@kasie) December 20, 2018
It isn’t clear how Trump’s call with Ryan went, but it just so happens the president recently sent out a tweet grumbling about how he doesn’t have the Congressional support he needs to secure funding for his border wall.
When I begrudgingly signed the Omnibus Bill, I was promised the Wall and Border Security by leadership. Would be done by end of year (NOW). It didn’t happen! We foolishly fight for Border Security for other countries – but not for our beloved U.S.A. Not good!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 20, 2018
Trump isn’t saying that he’ll sign the stopgap spending bill to keep the government open for the start of 2019, and this development comes amid chatter about a possible shutdown and conservative lamentations over border security.
Hunt reports that a second conference is being scheduled for later today as the GOP scrambles to see if they have the votes to make changes and come up with wall funding.
On the House floor, leaders scrambling to see if they can pass $5 billion in wall funding as Republicans say they want President Trump to tweet before they say “yes.”
“That’s what the fuck serving in Congress has come to,” one GOP member of Congress tells me.
— Kasie Hunt (@kasie) December 20, 2018
Path today might be putting $5 billion in wall funding on the House floor, likely going down — to prove it can’t pass
Then possibly proceed to an clean CR vote? #mess
— Kasie Hunt (@kasie) December 20, 2018
Watch above, via MSNBC.
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