[author: Rachel Coyne]
Newly elected speaker, Paul Ryan (R-Wis), is already busy settling into his role and deciding what major policies he wants to tackle first. Excluded from his policy list is immigration reform. Ryan has decided to hold off on advancing any immigration legislation until after the 2016 elections because he deems President Obama as “untrustworthy” when it comes to immigration policy. Ryan has said in an interview, “I think it would be a ridiculous notion to try and work on an issue like this with a president we simply cannot trust on this issue.” Ryan cites that President Obama’s “untrustworthiness” stems from the fact that the President has issued executive orders on immigration reform thereby “circumventing the legislative process” as Ryan says. Ryan’s decision to postpone focus on immigration reform comes from the desire to balance his promise to tackle difficult issues with the political reality of lawmakers who are suspicious of his positions, specifically on immigration policy. Ryan’s stance on the matter is one that will not change until at least January 2017 once a new president is sworn into office. However if another Democrat is elected to office it is likely that immigration negotiations would continue to be postponed.
Rachel is an intern with the firm and is not a practicing attorney.
