By Kenneth White

Paul Ryan announced on Wednesday, he will not be seeking re-election this November. A number of individuals have commented since this revelation. Vice President Mike Pence provided a statement today saying that Paul Ryan was instrumental in enacting President Trump’s agenda. The note goes onto say that Ryan has been a fierce defender of our military and helped to usher in a historic tax reform through congress.

Rep. Steve Scalise spoke with CNN and denied that becoming House Speaker, a role he’d previously said he was interested in, was a good thing right now. “I think if we lose focus on our current job, it’s going to hurt our ability to move the agenda forward that the American People elected us to do,” replied Scalise. Mitt Romney tweeted that he felt that Ryan “…unified the house, passed scores of bills and led with integrity”.

For himself, House Speaker Paul Ryan said in a statement “I’ve done my little part in history to set us on a better course…What I realize is if I am here for one more term my kids will only have ever known me as a weekend dad.” This is Ryan’s 20th year in congress.