Faith & Freedom Coalition Chairman Ralph Reed Statement On Speaker Paul Ryan’s Retirement Announcement

Washington, DC – Faith & Freedom Coalition Founder & Chairman Ralph Reed issued the following statement on today’s announcement from Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Paul Ryan. 

“I have known Paul Ryan since he came to Washington to work for my friend Jack Kemp 25 years ago. We knew then that he was a bright and determined believer in pro-growth and pro-family principles with an incandescent intellect and rare leadership ability. In the past quarter-century Paul has been a principled and eloquent advocate for conservatives of all stripes. As a faithful Roman Catholic, he has also never wavered in his defense of religious freedom, the institution of marriage and innocent human life. He has woven the tapestry of his faith into the broad cloth of a conservatism that cared for the least among us.  As Speaker, albeit a reluctant one, he achieved great and historic policy changes, including a sweeping tax cut that will grow the economy and doubled the child tax credit. For all these reasons he represents the very best in public service in what Irving Howe called this blessed land. Paul Ryan is a great blessing to modern conservatism and America and I thank him for his unique and principled leadership.”