GOP House under Speaker Ryan set to blow budget deadline

WASHINGTON -- House Republicans are about to blow through a statutory deadline to pass an annual budget, an embarrassment for Speaker Paul Ryan that raises questions about his stewardship of the House despite his high profile on the national stage.

A day after rampant speculation forced him to call a news conference to deny he wants to run for president this year, Ryan insisted Wednesday he hadn't given up on the House's obligation to pass its annual spending blueprint, even though the Friday deadline looks impossible to meet.

"You know me; I want to pass a budget," said the Wisconsin Republican, his party's 2012 vice presidential nominee. "I think we should pass a budget, and we're still talking with our members on how we can get that done."

Yet success looks unlikely as the same tea-party lawmakers who ousted Ryan's predecessor, John Boehner, rebel against a bipartisan spending deal Boehner cut with President Barack Obama last fall before leaving office.

"It's better to do no budget this year than a bad budget," Heritage Foundation president Jim DeMint said, echoing the sentiments of many conservatives in the House.

Boehner, despite his troubles with the hard-liners in his caucus, met the budget deadline each of the five years of his speakership.

The situation has left several House Republicans frustrated.

Yet Ryan has managed to remain popular, as all sides continue to profess admiration for his communication skills and his patient attempts to involve lawmakers in his deliberations.

"It's extremely frustrating," GOP Rep. Kevin Cramer of North Dakota said of the imminent budget failure.

He praised Ryan's style, but added: "It's admirable in some ways but not producing results."

Ryan chaired the House Budget Committee for much of Boehner's speakership and crafted the "Ryan Budget" that would have transformed Medicare into a voucher program for millions.

It never became law, but he cut a deal with Senate Democrats and the White House that enhanced his profile as a charismatic, policy-focused conservative.