Here’s a look at the life of Paul Ryan, speaker of the US House of Representatives.
Personal:
Birth date: January 29, 1970
Birth place: Janesville, Wisconsin
Birth name: Paul Davis Ryan
Father: Paul M. Ryan, an attorney
Mother: Elizabeth “Betty” (Hutter) Ryan Douglas
Marriage: Janna (Little) Ryan (December 2, 2000-present)
Children: Liza, Charlie, Sam
Education: Miami University (Ohio), B.A., 1992
Religion: Roman Catholic
Other Facts:
Ryan’s father died of a heart attack when Ryan was 16.
Double-majored in economics and political science at Miami University (Ohio).
Ryan is a fitness buff and enjoys bow hunting.
In the case that the president could no longer serve, the vice president would serve as president. If the vice president could not serve, the line of succession would fall to the speaker of the House.
Timeline:
1992 – Legislative aide to Senator Robert Kasten of Wisconsin.
1993-1995 – Staff assistant and speechwriter for the Empower America think tank, which was co-founded by Rep. Jack Kemp (R-NY).
1995-1997 – Legislative director for Senator Sam Brownback of Kansas.
November 3, 1998 – Is elected to the US House of Representatives for the 1st District of Wisconsin. Ryan is re-elected in 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014 and 2016.
2011-2014 – Chairman of the House Budget Committee.
March 29, 2012 – Ryan’s 2013 budget proposal is passed by the Republican controlled House, 228-191. The budget plan is later defeated in the Senate, 57-40.
August 11, 2012 – Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney announces Ryan as his choice for vice presidential running mate.
August 17, 2012 – Released tax documents show that Ryan and his wife earned $323,416 in 2011 and paid an effective tax rate of 20%.
November 6, 2012 – The Romney-Ryan ticket is defeated in the general election by the Obama-Biden ticket, but Ryan wins an eighth term representing Wisconsin’s 1st District.
October 8, 2013 – The Wall Street Journal publishes an op-ed piece by Ryan in the midst of the 16-day-long government shutdown, in which Ryan discusses the challenges of reaching a budget agreement.
December 2013 – Ryan and Senate Budget Chairman Patty Murray strike a budget deal that avoids a shutdown until 2015. It passes the House 332-94 and the Senate 64-36 and is signed by President Barack Obama.
July 24, 2014 – Ryan releases a 73-page plan to fight poverty, called “Expanding Opportunity in America.”
November 4, 2014 – Ryan wins re-election to the House, defeating Democrat Rob Zerban, 63% to 37%.
January 6, 2015-October 29, 2015 – Chairman of the Committee on Ways and Means.
October 22, 2015 – Officially announces he is running for House speaker.
October 28, 2015 – House Republicans nominate Ryan for speaker of the House.
October 29, 2015 – Ryan officially becomes the 54th speaker of the US House of Representatives.
April 12, 2016 – Ending speculation that he could be drafted as the Republican presidential nominee during the party’s summer convention in Cleveland, Ryan declares, “I do not want, nor will I accept the nomination…Count me out.”
November 8, 2016 – Ryan wins re-election to the House, defeating Democrat Ryan Solen 65% to 32%.
January 3, 2017 – Ryan is re-elected as the speaker of the US House of Representatives.
March 9, 2017 – Three days after House Republicans unveil the American Health Care Act, a bill to replace the Affordable Care Act, Ryan delivers a PowerPoint presentation on Capitol Hill to explain why the new GOP bill is superior to the Affordable Care Act.
November 3, 2017 – Calls for House members and staff to complete their sexual harassment training in the wake of allegations of sexual misconduct within institutions across the country.
December 22, 2017 – President Donald Trump signs into law the Ryan endorsed overhaul of the US tax code, an issue the speaker has long supported as assisting the middle class.