Paul Ryan facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Paul Ryan
|
|
|---|---|
Official portrait, 2018
|
|
| 54th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives | |
| In office October 29, 2015 – January 3, 2019 |
|
| Preceded by | John Boehner |
| Succeeded by | Nancy Pelosi |
| Leader of the House Republican Conference | |
| In office October 29, 2015 – January 3, 2019 |
|
| Deputy | Kevin McCarthy |
| Preceded by | John Boehner |
| Succeeded by | Kevin McCarthy |
| Chair of the House Ways and Means Committee | |
| In office January 3, 2015 – October 29, 2015 |
|
| Preceded by | Dave Camp |
| Succeeded by | Kevin Brady |
| Chair of the House Budget Committee | |
| In office January 3, 2011 – January 3, 2015 |
|
| Preceded by | John Spratt |
| Succeeded by | Tom Price |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Wisconsin's 1st district |
|
| In office January 3, 1999 – January 3, 2019 |
|
| Preceded by | Mark Neumann |
| Succeeded by | Bryan Steil |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Paul Davis Ryan
January 29, 1970 Janesville, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse |
Janna Little
(m. 2000) |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | Miami University (BA) |
| Awards |  Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service |
| Signature |  |
Paul Davis Ryan (born January 29, 1970) is an American politician. He served as the 54th speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 2015 to 2019. The Speaker is the leader of the U.S. House of Representatives.
Ryan is a member of the Republican Party. He was chosen to run for Vice President in the 2012 election. He ran with Mitt Romney but they lost to President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden.
Paul Ryan grew up in Janesville, Wisconsin. He graduated from Miami University in 1992. He worked for Congress in Washington, D.C., for five years. He then returned to Wisconsin in 1997. The next year, he was elected to Congress to represent Wisconsin's 1st district. He served in Congress for 20 years. He led important committees like the House Budget Committee and the House Ways and Means Committee.
In 2015, Paul Ryan was elected Speaker of the House. During his time as Speaker, he helped pass important laws. These included a major tax cut bill in 2017. He decided not to run for re-election in 2018. Nancy Pelosi became the next Speaker.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Growing Up in Wisconsin
Paul Davis Ryan was born on January 29, 1970. He was the youngest of four children. His parents were Elizabeth Ann and Paul Murray Ryan. He grew up in Janesville, Wisconsin. His family has lived in Wisconsin for many generations. His great-grandfather started an earthmoving company in 1884. His grandfather was a U.S. Attorney.
Ryan went to St. Mary's Catholic School in Janesville. He then attended Joseph A. Craig High School. In high school, he was elected president of his junior class. He was also the prom king. As class president, he represented students on the school board. He worked at McDonald's during his second year of high school.
He was active in sports like ski, track, and varsity soccer. He also played basketball in a Catholic league. He joined academic groups like the Model United Nations. His family often went hiking and skiing in the Colorado Rocky Mountains.
Family Challenges and College
When Paul Ryan was 16, his father passed away from a heart attack. After his father's death, his grandmother moved in with the family. She had Alzheimer's, and Ryan helped care for her. His mother went to college in Madison, Wisconsin. From age 16 until he turned 18, Ryan received Social Security benefits. These funds were saved to help pay for his college education.
Ryan earned a bachelor's degree from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. He studied economics and political science. He became interested in the ideas of economists like Friedrich Hayek and Milton Friedman. He also discussed the ideas of Ayn Rand. A professor introduced him to National Review. This led him to an internship in Washington, D.C. He worked in the office of Wisconsin U.S. Senator Bob Kasten.
While in college, Ryan also worked as a salesman for Oscar Mayer. He even got to drive the famous Wienermobile. He was a member of the College Republicans group. He also volunteered for the congressional campaign of John Boehner.
Early Career in Politics
After graduating in 1992, Ryan became a legislative aide for Senator Kasten. This meant he helped the senator with laws and policies. In his early years on Capitol Hill, Ryan took on other jobs. He worked as a waiter and a fitness trainer to earn extra money.
After Senator Kasten lost his election, Ryan became a speechwriter. He worked for Empower America, a group that supports conservative ideas. This group was started by Jack Kemp, who became a mentor to Ryan. Ryan later worked as a speechwriter for Kemp's vice presidential campaign in 1996. Ryan has said Kemp had a "huge influence" on him.
In 1995, Ryan became the legislative director for U.S. Congressman Sam Brownback. This role involved managing legislative work. In 1997, he returned to Wisconsin. He worked for a year as a marketing consultant for a construction company owned by his relatives.
Serving in the U.S. House of Representatives
Winning Elections
Paul Ryan was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1998. He won the seat for Wisconsin's 1st District. He was 28 years old at the time. This made him one of the youngest members of the House. He won the Republican primary election. Then he won the general election against Democrat Lydia Spottswood.
Ryan was reelected eight times. He always won with more than 55 percent of the votes. He defeated Democratic challengers in 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, and 2008. In 2010, he won against John Heckenlively and Joseph Kexel.
In 2012, Ryan was allowed to run for both Vice President and for his House seat at the same time. He won re-election to his House seat with 55 percent of the vote. He also won with 44 percent of the vote in his hometown of Janesville.
He faced Democratic challenger Rob Zerban again in 2014. Ryan won that election with 63 percent of the vote. In 2016, he won his Republican primary election with over 84 percent of the vote. He then won the general election with 65 percent of the vote.
Key Roles in Congress
Before becoming Speaker, Ryan held important positions. He became the top Republican on the House Budget Committee in 2007. He became chairman of that committee in 2011. This happened after Republicans gained control of the House. In 2015, he briefly chaired the House Ways and Means Committee.
As a Congressman, Ryan sponsored many bills. Two of his bills became law. One renamed a post office in his district. The other lowered a tax on arrow shafts. He also supported many bills sponsored by other members of Congress.
Ryan supported the foreign policy of President George W. Bush. He voted to authorize the 2003 invasion of Iraq. In 2010, he was part of a group called the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform. This group worked to reduce the national debt.
2012 Vice Presidential Campaign
Becoming a Candidate
Many conservative leaders suggested Paul Ryan as a candidate for Vice President. On August 11, 2012, the campaign of Mitt Romney announced Ryan as his choice for Vice President. Ryan formally accepted the invitation. He did this in front of the USS Wisconsin in Norfolk.
Ryan was the first person from Wisconsin to run on a major party's national ticket. He was also the first member of Generation X to do so. Many people saw him as a strong voice for conservative ideas.
Some experts said Ryan was one of the most conservative Vice Presidential nominees in a long time. A poll found that 39% of people thought he was an "excellent" or "pretty good" choice.
Campaign and Debate
Ryan formally accepted his nomination at the 2012 Republican National Convention. This was on August 29, 2012. In his speech, he supported Mitt Romney for president. He also spoke about repealing the Affordable Care Act. He said he and Romney had a plan to create 12 million new jobs. He also talked about applying America's founding principles.
His speech was well-received by the audience. Some people who check facts found some omissions or details taken out of context in his speech. However, conservative media outlets disagreed with some of these findings.
On October 11, 2012, Ryan debated the current Vice President, Joe Biden. This was the only Vice Presidential debate of the 2012 election. Romney and Ryan lost the 2012 presidential election. However, Ryan kept his seat in the House of Representatives.
Speaker of the House
Becoming Speaker
In September 2015, Speaker John Boehner announced he would resign. Many Republicans wanted Paul Ryan to become the next Speaker. Boehner himself urged Ryan to take the job. He said Ryan was the only one who could unite the House Republicans.
At first, Ryan said he would not be a candidate. But after talking with many people, he changed his mind. On October 22, he announced he would seek the speakership. He received support from different groups of House Republicans.
On October 29, Ryan was elected Speaker. He received 236 votes, which was more than half of the 435-member House. Democrat Nancy Pelosi received 184 votes. Ryan was sworn in by John Conyers. At age 45, he became the youngest person elected Speaker since 1869. As Speaker, he became the leader of the House Republicans. He mostly stopped taking part in debates and voting. He also did not serve on any committees.
Working with President Trump
.jpg)
After Donald Trump became the likely Republican presidential nominee in 2016, Ryan was slow to support him. They met in May 2016. They said they had differences but also common ground. On June 2, Ryan announced his support for Trump.
However, Ryan sometimes disagreed with Trump's comments. He called some of Trump's remarks "racist." But he continued to support Trump for president. He believed that more Republican policies would be passed under Trump than under Hillary Clinton.
In October 2016, after a controversy involving Trump, Ryan said he would no longer defend Trump's campaign. He decided to focus on Congressional races instead. Trump then criticized Ryan, saying he was "disloyal."
Ryan was re-elected Speaker on January 3, 2017. This was the first day of the 115th Congress. He received 239 votes.
During his time as Speaker, Ryan worked on replacing the Affordable Care Act (ACA). In March 2017, he explained the proposed replacement, called the American Health Care Act (AHCA). The House voted for the AHCA in May. However, the Senate was unable to pass its own version of the law.
Ryan also worked on tax reform. In December 2017, Congress passed a large tax bill. President Trump signed it into law. This law was called the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017.
In June 2017, Ryan supported strong actions against Russia. This was in response to Russia's interference in the 2016 elections. Congress passed a bill to put new actions on Russia. Both the House and Senate passed it with many votes.
Ryan decided not to run for re-election in November 2018. He said he felt he had "done my part." President Trump praised Ryan's achievements. In May 2018, Ryan helped pass a bill that changed parts of the Dodd-Frank Act. This law had strengthened financial rules.
After Republicans lost control of the House in the 2018 elections, Ryan spoke about the election results in California. He called California's election system "bizarre." However, his spokesperson later said Ryan did not question the final results.
Review of His Time as Speaker
After Ryan announced his retirement, people looked at his time as Speaker. He achieved one of his main goals: rewriting the tax code. However, he did not achieve his goal of balancing the budget. Government spending and debt increased during his time as Speaker.
Helping His District
As a Congressman, Ryan worked to get money for projects in his district. In 2008, he helped get $5.4 million for his area. This included money for bus service, the Ice Age Trail, and the Janesville transit system. He also supported a runway extension at the Southern Wisconsin Regional Airport. Other projects included an environmental study of the Kenosha Harbor and road projects.
In 2008, Ryan promised to stop asking for special funding for his district. Records show he did not ask for such funding in 2009 and 2010. In 2012, he supported a request for $3.8 million for a new transit center in Janesville. City officials received this money.
Ryan was part of a group that tried to keep a General Motors assembly plant open in Janesville. He spoke with GM leaders and offered incentives. However, the plant still closed.
Ryan also had a mobile office to help people in areas far from his main office.
Political Beliefs
Economic and Social Views
Ryan's political beliefs were generally conservative. He focused a lot on fiscal policy, which is about government spending and taxes. He supported tax cuts. He also supported removing certain taxes, like the capital gains tax and the estate tax.
Ryan believed in less government regulation. He supported laws that reduced financial rules for banks. He also supported the auto industry bailout during the economic crisis. However, he opposed laws that expanded consumer protections or strengthened financial rules. As Speaker, he helped pass a law that removed parts of a financial regulation law.
In 2016, Ryan proposed ideas to help people in poverty. He wanted to add work requirements for federal benefits. He also wanted states to have a bigger role in managing these benefits. Ryan believed that federal programs to reduce poverty were not working well. He supported cuts to welfare, child care, and food stamps.
Ryan supported changing programs like Medicaid and Social Security. He wanted to give states more control over Medicaid funding. He also supported allowing people to invest parts of their Social Security funds privately. He supported the Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit. He opposed the Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as "Obamacare." He supported the American Health Care Act of 2017 (AHCA), which aimed to replace the ACA.
Ryan opposed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009. This law made it easier to file lawsuits about pay discrimination. In 2012, Ryan supported civil unions but opposed same-sex marriage.
Education, Environment, and Foreign Policy
Ryan supported school vouchers. These help parents pay for private school tuition. He supported the No Child Left Behind Act in 2001. He also supported its replacement, the Every Student Succeeds Act, in 2015.
Ryan was unsure about the impact of human activity on climate change. He supported tax benefits for the petroleum industry. He opposed them for renewable energy.
Ryan supported gun rights. He opposed stricter gun control. He supported the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Ryan criticized President Barack Obama's decision not to block a UN resolution about Israeli settlements. He supported President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital. He said Jerusalem "has been, and always will be, the eternal, undivided capital of the State of Israel."
After a meeting between President Trump and Russia's leader in 2018, Ryan confirmed his belief that Russia interfered in the 2016 U.S. election. He supported more economic actions against Russia.
After Congress
In March 2019, Paul Ryan joined the board of directors for Fox Corporation. This company owns Fox News Channel. In August 2019, he joined the board of SHINE Medical Technologies. He also became a professor at the University of Notre Dame. He was a guest lecturer in political science and economics.
In April 2019, Ryan visited Taipei. He represented President Trump. He attended a ceremony for the 40th anniversary of the Taiwan Relations Act. In October 2019, Ryan started a non-profit group called American Idea Foundation.
In October 2020, Ryan became a senior advisor for Teneo, a public relations company. In February 2021, he became a partner in a private investment firm.
On May 17, 2023, Ryan's official portrait was shown at the U.S. Capitol. During his speech, he said, "Only in America would it be possible for a kid from Janesville to go from an intern to the Speaker of the House."
Personal Life
In December 2000, Paul Ryan married Janna Christine Little. She is a tax attorney. Janna Ryan is from Madill, Oklahoma. She graduated from Wellesley College and George Washington University Law School. The Ryans live in Janesville, Wisconsin. They have three children: Elizabeth "Liza" Anne, Charles Wilson, and Samuel Lowery. Ryan is a member of St. John Vianney Catholic Church in Janesville.
Janna is a cousin of former Democratic Representative Dan Boren. She is also related to Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson.
During a 2012 interview, Ryan said he once ran a marathon in under three hours. He later said he forgot his actual time and was just guessing. His official marathon time is recorded as slightly over four hours.
Awards and Honors
- 2004, 2010 – Guardian of Small Business Award, National Federation of Independent Business
- 2008 – Defending the American Dream Award, Americans for Prosperity, Wisconsin chapter
- 2009 – Manufacturing Legislative Excellence Award, National Association of Manufacturers
- 2009 – Honorary Degree, Miami University
- 2010 – Legislator of the Year Award, International Franchise Association
- 2011 – Statesmanship Award, Claremont Institute
- 2011 – Fiscy Award for responsible financial stewardship and fiscal discipline in government.
- 2011 – Leadership Award, Jack Kemp Foundation
- 2011 – Freedom and Prosperity Award, Mason Contractors Association of America
- 2012 – Chair, Honorary Board of the Archery Trade Association
- 2014 – Alexander Hamilton Award, Manhattan Institute for Policy Research
- 2018 –
Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service
Images for kids
-
Paul Ryan's signature.
See also
In Spanish: Paul Ryan para niños
